


Lost In Translation

by letalisnex, rjt129



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: A bunch of other tags probably, Alternate Universe - After College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cheesy, Clexa, Drunk Clarke, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Pop Culture, Sassy Raven, Slow Burn Clarke Griffin/Lexa, all the fandom refrences, but never deep, canadian lexa, god the slow burn, slight mention of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-22 23:36:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 37,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6097624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/letalisnex/pseuds/letalisnex, https://archiveofourown.org/users/rjt129/pseuds/rjt129
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clarke wasn't sure whether it was fate or luck that brought her to that McDonald's in Montreal but she knew that she had to thank the stars that aligned for making it happen. Because fifteen shots later and Google Translate as her wing man Clarke was yelling things like: “Nooooooo! I have to text my future wife. My really hot future wife.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Of All The McDonald's

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Clexa piece so be gentle. All errors are my own! Not sure if going to be just a one shot or multi chaptered. If enough people like it I'll continue!  
> Loosely based on my NYE trip to Montreal and the hot bartender I met there - I'm about as smooth as Clarke is in this.  
> Lexa is either italic or bold but Clarke is ALWAYS bold+italic

January 2nd, 2016

The day after New Year’s Clarke found herself getting ready for a second night of partying in Montreal…at a gay bar. Montreal might not have been Clarke’s first choice – she was hoping for Vegas or maybe New Orleans – but Octavia wasn’t 21 yet so Montreal it was. By some stroke of luck, or perhaps it was fate as Clarke would later say, that she and Octavia bumped into a lesbian couple that Clarke recognized from Tumblr. The four girls got to talking and Jenny suggested they check out Club Unity, one of the more popular gay clubs downtown. As soon as she heard that, there had been no stopping Octavia from deciding that that was their party destination for the following night. Raven had tried to argue that they should go somewhere else but one death glare later from Octavia and the matter was settled.

For the umpteenth time that night Clarke glances at her reflection in the mirror, trying to find any little imperfections. She let Octavia pick out her outfit and she has to admit, she looks hot – unsurprising though because Octavia is a fashion goddess. She had dressed Clarke in a blue button up (“It makes your eyes pop”), khaki colored jeans (“Clarke these were your only paint free pants in your suitcase, seriously why are all your pants covered in paint! But your butt also looks phenomenal in them”) and Clarke’s new pair of timberlands (“Clarke if I was into girls I would fuck you in this outfit.”) The moment Raven steps out of the bathroom and sees Clarke’s outfit she can’t stop laughing.

“You’re a real lesbian now,” she says her words nearly lost in laughter.

“Fuck you,” Clarke huffs angrily, her smile betraying her. 

Sighing as she steps into the cool night air, Clarke feels her body instantly cool down; they hadn’t even made it to the club yet but Clarke’s veins were already coursing with copious amounts of alcohol. She was drunk - Octavia, Raven and Harper had egged her on with ‘one more shot!’ after nearly every shot, not messing around when it came to pre-gaming. She couldn’t tell if her stomach was rolling with nerves or too much booze. Clarke would never openly admit that she was feeling anxious about going to her first gay club and the matter was only made worse by the fact that Raven liked to call her ‘baby gay.’

As they stumbled down the snowy Montreal streets, Clarke gets lost in her own drunken head wondering why Montreal doesn’t have a Taco Bell. The one food Clarke is craving above all others.

“Oh my god!” Harper squeals, pulling Clarke from her taco thoughts. Following Octavia’s gaze, Clarkes jaw drops when she sees that the side of the building is covered in pictures of men with washboard abs and very little, if any, clothing.

“We’re here bitches!” Octavia yells before pulling the door open and ushering them inside. Clarke suddenly feels very sober, her mouth is dry and she is definitely ready for another drink….or six. Harper leads them up the stairs and pulls the door at the top open; _Where Are U Now_ explodes in their ears the bass reverberating through their chests and strobe lights blinding them.  

The second Clarke hands her jacket to the coat check, Octavia grabs her hand dragging her to the dance floor. Harper and Raven make a bee line for the bar, the promise of tequila shots flying from their lips.

Across from the bar is a flashing neon sign that reads “Jell-O Shots”, the knot that had formed in Clarkes stomach loosens slightly – nothing soothed Clarke’s nerves like Jell-O Shots and tequila. Her eyes fall to the bartender working the table and Clarke nearly forgets how to breathe. Her feet stop moving and Clarke swears that her heart actually stops beating for a moment. Clarke pulls back on Octavia’s arm, stopping her from moving further onto the dance floor. Octavia looks at her, confusion written all over her face but Clarke only has eyes for the bartender. The bartender has long wavy brown hair that is tucked beneath a snapback, forearm tattoos that are only noticeable because the sleeves of her flannel are rolled. The moment Clarke’s heart starts beating again she decides that the bartender is the most beautiful person she has ever seen.

“O,” Clarke says grasping Octavia’s arm.

“What?”

“Look at the bartender…” Clarke’s voice heavy with admiration.  

“Come on Casanova, let’s get you a drink. Also you should maybe wipe that drool off your chin,” Octavia teases as she drags Clarke over to Raven and Harper. Clarke quickly snaps her slack jaw close, wiping at her chin only to realize that Octavia was lying about her drooling.

“To a kick ass night and hopefully getting laid!” Raven yells toasting their tequila shots.

“Fuck yeah!” Harper yells back.

“To having a hot as shit boyfriend,” Octavia yells receiving a death glare from Raven but laughs from Harper and Clarke. Octavia just shrugs her shoulders unapologetically, she was happy with Lincoln and as far as Clarke was concerned that was all that mattered.

“Let’s get fucked up,” Clarke says with a laugh. She savors the way the tequila burns her throat as it flows down into her belly, filling her with liquid courage. Raven orders a second round of tequila shots while Clarke stares longingly at the Jell-O Shot bartender, nicknaming her Hot Bartender, a nickname she has rightfully earned in Clarkes mind. She drags Raven onto the dance floor as soon as their empty tequila glasses hit the counter. Feeling encouraged by all the liquor rolling around her belly, Clarke grabs Ravens hips and pulls the girl against her grinding into her ass. It was a strategic move on Clarkes part, she knew how great her ass looked when she danced and so what if she had purposefully placed herself so that her ass was in that direction. No one had to know. And also Clarke didn’t want to be a creeper and stare at her all night.

Clarke needed tonight. She needed to have fun with three of her best friends, she needed to just feel happy. Ever since graduating and moving to NYC with Raven, Clarke barely saw Octavia and Harper who were finishing up their last year at Arkcadia – Clarke was secretly hoping that after they graduated they would move to NYC as well. Going from seeing the two every day to barely once every two months had put Clarke in a perpetual bad mood, not to mention post-graduation life kind of sucked. People weren’t kidding when they said college was the best time of their life. Clarke missed college, she missed her friends, she missed Arkcadia’s college town and mostly she missed feeling like a teenager rather than the adult she was now supposed to be.

They dance for nearly an hour before Octavia demands Jell-O shots and Clarke can’t agree more. Following Octavia they dance their way across the floor, moving between the sweaty gyrating bodies but when they near the table Octavia grabs Clarke and shoves her forward. Clarke stumbles into the table and feels her cheeks heat with embarrassment. Hot Bartender looks up from her phone and eyes Clarke, her expression slightly irritated obviously thinking that Clarke was just another drunk stumbling partier – she totally was. Clarke met her gaze, feeling her cheeks heat even more, the bartender was even more attractive up close.  She orders four Jell-O shots, placing a hand on Harper’s forearm, stopping the girl from taking her wallet out. 

“I got this.”

“Thanks Clarkey,” Harper says as she throws her shot back.

When Hot Bartender slides the change back across the table, Clarke just pushes it back, making eye contact with her again and smirking slightly. Challenging her to say no to the tip, even though Clarke wants her to accept it.

Clarke is dragged back onto the dance floor but this time they are on the edge of the circle, yelling the lyrics to the songs they know dancing against one another with nothing but smiles on their faces. For maybe the hundredth time that night Clarke has to fight the urge to look at Hot Bartender.  

“You should just go talk to her dude,” Octavia yells into her ear.

Clarke shakes her head before yelling back, “She might not be gay!”

And before Clarke can stop her Octavia is turning around and walking over to Hot Bartender, Clarke forcing her eye sight everywhere else but on the two girls. In the blink of an eye Octavia is back beside Clarke dancing, curiosity nearly causing Clarke to burst into flames.

“What did you just do?”

“Asked her if she was gay.”

“Octavia! You can’t just ask people if they are gay!” But Clarke is dying to know the answer, “Is she?”

“Yep,” Octavia replies with a wink before dragging Raven and Harper further into the dancing mosh pit. Taking a deep breath Clarke walks back over to Hot Bartender and orders two more Jell-O shots. When she is handed both cups, Clarke holds one out to the girl who takes it with a smirk. They toast their shots before tipping the fiery Jell-O down, Clarke's face showing just how strong the alcohol burns her insides. Again she pushes her change back across the table as a tip for the girl.

Clarke continues to buy Hot Bartender and herself multiple shots throughout the evening, each time she arrives at the table the girl smirks at her causing Clarke’s stomach to erupt in butterflies and her cheeks to flush red. The fifth time Clarke goes up to the table she is exceptionally drunk and convinced that she will end her night with her face in the hotel toilet, but because she is doubtful that she will remember the evening, she is feeling quite bold. Leaning over the table Clarke talks into the girls’ ear.

“What time do you get off?”

The girl looks at her watch and holds up two fingers, looking at her own watch Clarke realizes that it’s only a little after midnight. She had two hours to gather her courage and make a real move on Hot Bartender, Clarke could do it. No I will do it, Clarke tells herself. Two hours to kill, totally possible – she would just focus on her friends and push all thoughts of the bartender aside until the girl was done with work. That is easier said than done, Clarke couldn’t resist going back to the table three more times for shots, her total jell-o shot count was up to eight plus the two tequila shots on top of the four she took in the hotel earlier. Luckily Octavia had already forced Clarke to drink two full glasses of water so Clarke was feeling slightly better than she would normally after fourteen shots (her current record was sixteen but Clarke didn’t want to try and set any new records tonight, not if she was going to try and talk to Hot Bartender for real) Clarke found her gaze constantly shifting over to her and a few times Hot Bartender caught her staring, Clarke swore that one time the girl even bit her lip when she noticed Clarke's gaze. 

Once again Clarke tears her gaze away from the bartender and instead focuses on the way Octavia and Harper were sandwiching her, grinding themselves into her front and back. She couldn’t resist moving her hips in time with them, smiling widely at Octavia who was pressed against her front.  Before she knows it, its 2:30am and Clarke is ready to make her move but a quick glance over to the girls table causes her stomach to sink. The bartender is gone and Clarke has missed her chance.  

“O, she left,” Clarke says pushing her bottom lip into a pout. Octavia glances over to where the girl used to be frowning slightly before fixing her features into a determined glare.  Clarke had seen this expression before, it usually meant Octavia got what she wanted.

“Fuck that,” Octavia states as she stomps off the dance floor towards one of the security guards. Clarke follows at a distance, knowing better than to get in Octavia’s way when she is on a mission. She watches as Octavia taps him on the shoulder before energetically talking into his ear saying something that causes him to glance at Clarke with a smirk before walking into the employees’ only area of the club. Octavia all but skips back over to Clarke with a smile on her face.

“She’ll be right out.”

“O! What did you do” Clarke asks her stomach clenching nervously trying to control the rising panic that she feels crawling up her insides.

“I told the security guard that you were looking for the bartender. Now you have no excuse not to talk to her.” She says before she dancing her way back onto the floor, leaving Clarke alone and nervous.  She has no idea what she is going to say. Five minutes later Clarkes’ heart gives another noticeable lurch as the bartender walks up to her.

“Were you looking for me?” she asks, her words thick with her French accent. Clarke can only shake her head yes in response, the ability to speak having vanished. Clarke pulls out her phone and types into google translate – feeling extremely ballsy.

**_I just wanted to tell you youre beautiful // Je voulais juste te dire que tu es belle_ **

Clarke watches the girls face as she reads the message, noticing the slight up tilt of her lips. She takes the phone out of Clarke’s hands and types back.

_Arret trop mignon//too cute stop *blushing emoji*_

Handing the phone back to Clarke she holds up a finger before running back to the employee section. Clarke stands there trying to figure out what to say next, praying that she doesn’t’ come off as an aggressive lesbian. After a few more moments she comes back carrying two shots, Clarke has no idea how she is supposed to stomach another one. She’s already hammered. But Clarke accepts the shot when its handed to her, toasting with the other girl before swallowing the liquor. Octavia untangles herself from a mosh pit of gay men that have crowned her queen and dances her way over to Clarke. She grabs one of Hot Bartenders hand and places it in Clarkes wagging her eyebrows suggestively and makes hand movements indicating that the two should dance. Clark thinks she sees the bartenders’ cheeks darken slightly but in the strobe lights she can’t be sure. When Octavia realizes that the two won’t dance together she lets out an aggravated huff and goes back to her circle of worshiping gay men. Clarke unlocks her phone and types another Google Translate message.

**_Do you want to dance? // veux-tu Dancer?_ **

_Haha je ne peux pas réellement danser :O // hahah I cannot really dance :O_

Clarke doesn’t even think about her next message, she just types it out and presses translate. If her stomach wasn’t so full warm swirling liquid courage, Clarke would have stopped herself from being too forward.  

**_That was just an excuse to be close to you // qui était juste une excuse pour être près de chez vous_ **

Again Clarke watches the girls face as she reads the message, this time Clarke notices the small tint to her cheeks. Inwardly she cheers over the small blush she has earned.

_quel est votre nom? // what’s your name?_

**_Clarke // Clarke_ **

_Quand pars-tu? // When are you leaving?_

_Tomorrow :(_ _// Demain :(_

She takes the phone from Clarke and goes to the home screen clearly looking for something. Clarke nearly fist pumps the air when she realizes that the bartender is adding herself to Clarke’s contacts.  

**Lexa Beauchene**

**1-539-588-2575**

**(PLEASE DON’T ACTUALLY TRY CALLING THIS NUMBER!!! I HAVE NO IDEA WHO IT IS AND THAT POOR PERSON MIGHT BE REALLY CREEPED OUT)**

_allez-vous me texte? // are you going to text me?_

Clarke wants to yell YES! How could she not text the hottest girl she has ever seen? Instead she just nods her head as Lexa gazes at her, eyes piercing Clarke, chilling and heating her body at the same time. No one has ever looked at Clarke the way Lexa is, Finn maybe, and it’s making her stomach act funny. She can't even think straight (not that she did normally) so her next message is random. 

**_Are you from Montreal? // êtes-vous de Montréal?_ **

_Oui. D'où êtes-vous? // Yes. Where are you from?_

**_New York // New York_ **

**_Wanting to dance was just an excuse to get close to you // Voulant danse était juste une excuse pour se rapprocher de vous_ **

For the second time that night Clarke notices the bartenders cheeks darken with a blush. She takes the phone from Clarke and types out a short message.

_tu es mignon // you are cute_

She nearly flies at Lexa’s words – Lexa thinks she is cute! Holy macaroni! At this point Clarke is feeling extremely bold, hoping that she doesn’t cross a line with her next message.

**_Can I kiss you? // puis-je t'embrasser?_ **

_peut être ;) // maybe ;)_

Clarke doesn’t want to push her luck but she doesn’t want to go down without a fight. With nervous fingers she types out her next message.  

**_How do I turn that maybe to a yes? // Comment puis-je me tourne que peut-être à un oui?_ **

_juste essayer, clarke // just try, clarke_

Lexa looks up at Clarke just as she finishes reading the message, Clarke is grinning widely, her blue eyes sparkling like stars in the abyss.

“Well alright then,” Clarke says as she wraps a hand around Lexa’s neck pulling her in gently. Their lips connect and Clarke’s world explodes. Lexa tastes like strawberry Jell-O and summer sun, how one can taste like summer in the middle of January has Clarke confused but she doesn’t care. She thinks she might have just found her new favorite flavor – Lexa. Lexa fists the collar of Clarke’s shirt pulling her in until their bodies are pressed tightly together while Clarke wraps her other hand around Lexa’s waist. She sucks Lexa’s bottom lip into her mouth, earning a moan, savoring the taste of her as Lexa’s tongue invades Clarke’s mouth. Their tongues fight for dominance as their lips move in a beautiful dance; hands roaming the others body, pulling, grabbing, anything to get closer, get more of each other. Lexa cups Clarke’s cheek kissing her tenderly, slowing the kissing down allowing them to catch their breath while still keeping their lips attached.

Eventually Lexa pulls away from Clarke who is slow to open her eyes which are heavy with desire. When she finally opens her eyes Lexa is staring at her, studying her face. Clarke also notices that everyone from the club is gone, the music is off and all the lights are on. But in the bright club lights Lexa is even more beautiful than Clarke had imagined. Her lips are red and swollen from their fierce kissing and her forest green eyes are nearly black with hunger.

“I have work,” Lexa says with a frown and Clarke nearly melts into a pile of mush because of her accent. Clarke nods her head in understanding, glancing around hoping that Octavia didn’t leave her at the club alone.  But Octavia has disappeared. Clarke nods her head again and turns to walk away but Lexa grabs her hand, pulling her around again. Tenderly she cradles Clarkes face before placing a lingering kiss on her lips which Clarke tries to deepen, wanting more. But Lexa pulls back with heavy lidded eyes and a smirk shaking her head “no” at Clarke and holds out her hand to Clarke. Clarke hands Lexa her phone and reads the message.

_texte moi demain? // text me tomorrow?_

**_Only if you answer ;) // seulement si vous répondez ;)_ **

_je ferai // i will_

Clarke leans in for another kiss, Lexa brushing their noses together. Gently she sucks in Lexa’s bottom lip biting gently. Lexa growls softly and Clarke pulls away with a smirk and a small sigh. She could easily spend the rest of the night (or was it early morning?) Kissing Lexa. Her body shaking with unbridled energy as she walks away, Clarke almost feels the need to recreate the final scene from _The Breakfast Club_. As she leans against the coat check trying to catch her breath, Octavia crashes into her.

 “OHMYGOD!” she cries, a shit eating grin on her face which Clarke can’t resist returning.

“You just made out for like an hour! OH MY GOD!”

“O! I KNOW! Ugh she’s so pretty. No. Hot. She’s so hot. And pretty. But so hooooot – I think I’m in love!” Clarke is shaking with so much excitement that she nearly trips down the stairs before grabbing hold of the hand rail to steady her jelly like legs. Stepping out into the chilly Montreal morning (but really is it morning or night when its after 3am and your drunk and you might have just kissed the love of your life) Octavia pulls a joint out, lights it and takes a deep pull before handing it over to Clarke. Clarke takes a deep pull filling her lungs, hoping that the butterflies in her stomach would relax and her legs will cease their shaking.

“I was going to take a picture to show Raven that you were actually a ballsy motherfucker but then I realized that would be kind of creepy and way to similar to Bell.”

“He only took pictures like twice!” Clarke laughing, sounding loud in the empty streets.

Bellamy had reasoned that he was trying to protect his sister from bad guys, which was why he said it was totally ok that he happened to surveillance two of Octavia’s dates. Clarke loved Bellamy but even she had to admit that he had crossed a line into creepy territory.

“It was still creepy,” she states before taking another long drag, “well Raven is just going to have to believe you when you tell her. Which she probably won’t because you have like no game Clarke.”

“Fuck off Octavia I’ve got game,” Clarke says playfully shoving Octavia, “Raven will believe me because I GOT HER NUMBER!” Her voice ending in a yell, stupidly excited over that fact. 

 “You got her number!” Octavia sings, twirling in the falling snow.

“I just made out with the hottest girl in Montreal!” Clarke yells to no one in particular. It’s nearly four am and Clarke has never felt more alive, knowing that this is a moment she will remember forever. The feeling of Lexa’s lips against hers, the way the falling snow litters Octavia’s hair or the perfect contentment Clarke has with life in that moment she committed it all to memory. Giggling Clarke takes another pull before handing the joint back to Octavia who takes an even bigger pull before attempting to blow smoke rings through each other. Smoking a joint with Octavia at 4am in a foreign country in the sweet scented air of freshly falling snow just seemed right.

“Best start to 2016,” Octavia yells with a ‘woooooo’ accurately reflecting Clarke’s thoughts

“We’re so drunk,” Clarke states matter-of-factly. They finish the joint before stumbling into the hotel lobby and then into the elevator and out onto their floor. Clarke bursting into the room yelling: “I MADE OUT WITH THE BARTENDER!”

“What?” Harper asks from one of the beds next to a lump of blankets, presumably where Raven is sleeping.

“So.Loud.Sh,” Raven moans.

“I made out with the hottest bartender! ME! I did it!” Clarke slurs her words slightly as she jumps onto the bed, Raven quickly sitting up with fire in her eyes.

“Firstly. We both know I’m the hottest bartender so offense taken Griffin. Secondly. Did you actually make out with her or did you just fantasize about it?”  

“Of course you’re the hottest bartender booboo but she is the hottest bartender that I’d want to make out with,” Clarke shoots back, sticking her tongue out at Raven.

“You’d be lucky to kiss these lips Griffin,” Raven spits back with a playful wink.

“And it actually happened. I ACTUALLY KISSED HER! She even gave me her number.” Clarke’s voice unmistakably confident.

“I saw it happen Ray, our little Clarkey is growing up,” Octavia grabbing at her chest looking the part of a wistful mother.

“Shut the front door!”

“The door is closed Raven duh,” Clarke’s drunken mind not grasping the meaning behind Raven’s words as she flops down onto the mattress staring at the ceiling.

“Bed time for Clarkey?” Octavia asks while she strips off her dress and throws on a pair of sweats and tank top.

“Nooooooo! I have to text my future wife. My really hot future wife.”

Octavia and Harper laugh while Raven grumbles about needing her beauty sleep.

“Come on Clarke, let’s get you in pajamas,” Octavia says while pulling Clarke’s pants down.

“O, you just want to get me naked,” Clarke teases propping herself on her elbows to watch Octavia undress her.

“Yes Clarke that has been my evil plan from the beginning,” she states throwing a wink in Clarke’s direction.

“Guys, I really would hate to break up this love fest, but as the wise Samuel L. Jackson once said: ‘Go the fuck to sleep.’ Raven petulantly states, clearly annoyed at being kept till the sun was starting to rise. 

“Guys I made out with a really hot bartender.” Clarke states yet again, not over the fact that she, Clarke, made out with someone as attractive as Lexa. After Octavia finishes dressing Clarke, she crawls into bed beside Clarke and turns off the lights plunging the room into near darkness. The room glows faintly with the subtle rays of the impending sunrise. The room is quiet except for the sound of Raven’s soft snoring (“I don’t snore! I just breathe a little heavier when I sleep”) and the quiet hum of the rooms air conditioner. It’s nearly five in the morning and Clarke has never felt like sleeping less. Although her body is heavy with booze, her body is high with excited energy and Clarke won’t deny that she is also extremely horny - she decides that now is the perfect time to text Lexa unwilling to wait until morning (or was it technically already morning with the sun just an hour away from rising) 

_Clarke_

_4:47am_

**_Je ne pouvais pas attendre pour le texte vous_ **

_(I couldn’t wait to text you)_

**Lexa**

**4:52am**

**Clarke? Right**

**_Oui!_ **

( _yes)_

**You speak French?:O**

**_No! I only know a few words:O_ **

**Oh okay** **:) a speak a little bit English**

**_We can practice ;)_ **

**_J’ai une bonne raison d’apprendre_ **

**_francais maintenant_ **

_(I have a good reason to learn_

_French now)_

**5:02am**

**I am your raison!!**

**You go back to New-York tomorrow??**

**_Malheureusement, oui_ **

_(unfortunately, yes)_

**What Time?**

_5:10am_

**_I’m not sure_ **

**I’m going to sleep! Txt me tomorrow :)**

**take care and see you soon**

**_Fais de beaux reves! :*_ **

_(sweet dreams)_

**5:17am**

**You too**

 

Belly full of butterflies and affection, Clarke crawls further under the covers falling into a blissful sleep filled with dreams about Jell-O shots, green eyes and lips that last like summer sun. 


	2. Clarke "Heart Eyes" Griffin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke leaves Montreal and the last thing she expects to text Octavia about is: "RAVEN IS WATCHING HOW TO CREATE AN ATOMIC BOMB YOU ARE MY MAID OF HONOR" She also makes a disgusting amount of heart eyes at her phone, but that's just Raven's opinion. Bellamy, Monty and Jasper make a surprise apperance and so does Harry Potter erotica. Also everyone is a dork.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge shout out to @letalisnex for betaing,letting me bounce ideas off her and putting up with my post 3.07 mood.  
> In case anyone was worried - LEXA ISNT DYING HERE! Although I can't promise that there wont be some character deaths (I promise this is one that everyone will be ok with)

With a groan Clarke reaches across the mattress searching for Octavia’s body, only to find the girls side of the bed empty. Rolling across the mattress, Clarke peers over the edge to find Octavia sound asleep on the floor. Ever since Lincoln suggested that the couple do a cross country trip to celebrate Octavia’s graduation, the former had taken to sleeping on the floor most nights in preparation. (“You do know that you are staying in hotels some night’s right? You don’t have to sleep on the ground EVERY night Octavia,” Raven had said at least five times since she found out that Octavia had taken to sleeping on the floor. “I’m just trying to live the backpacking grounder lifestyle Raven,” Octavia would whine back exasperated. Clarke stayed out of it, not caring how Octavia chose sleep on the floor rather than a perfectly comfortable mattress.)

Clarke tries to settle back into the warm comfortable mattress knowing that it is far too early for her to be awake after last night’s festivities. She lays there with her eyes closed willing her body to succumb to sleep, shifting from position to position hoping that each new one will be the one to lure her to sleep. But it wasn’t that she couldn’t get comfortable, her brain was just too wired. Last night’s kiss kept playing over and over again behind her eyelids, especially the way Lexa’s eyes looked after a passionate kiss. They were the sweetest shade of evergreen Clarke had ever seen and Clarke had seen a lot of different greens as a painter.

She lays there for what feels like hours, until finally giving up and checking her phone. 8:23am.

Three hours of sleep, fuck _this drive is going to suck_.

Already dreading having to go home and back to the real world, Clarke now sober had to face the bright (really it was too fucking bright for 8:23am on a Saturday in the middle of January) reality of possibly never seeing Lexa again. A monstrous rumbling bursts from Clarke’s stomach, disrupting the dark and twisty thoughts that were beginning to worm their way into her mind. Dragging her booze reeking fatigued body to the bathroom, she takes a long look in the mirror. Her hair is shooting off in every direction, her eyes are bloodshot with bags the size of Uranus and she’s pretty sure the inside of her mouth smells like the undead. Yeah Clarke is really glad that she didn’t wake up next to Lexa like she had dreamed. She stares into her reflection’s eyes as she brushes her teeth, talking to herself silently.  “Lexa was a phenomenal kisser and a great time. But Clarke, at the end of the day she is just another one night stand.  Even if all you did was make out. You can’t get too hopeful.” The reflection nods her head in agreement before pulling the wayward hair into a messy bun. Grabbing her phone and an extra room key, Clarke makes her way to the hotel dining room in search of the greasiest breakfast she can find.

“Excuse me, do you have a tray I could use to bring food back to the room?” Clarke asks one of the waiters in the dining room.

“Oui! Just a moment,” he responds before walking to the kitchen. As soon as Clarke receives a tray, she immediately begins loading it with pancakes, waffles, scrambled eggs and a stack of bacon. With sloth-like movements, Clarke makes her way back to the room moving carefully so as not to disrupt her food art. There’s Mount Bacon Everest, Toast Hill, Scrambled Egg Dune, Waffle Highlands and Pancake Steppe’s. What? I like food and I’m an artist, who says the two don’t go together? Gordon Ramsey would agree with me.  

Three doors from their room, Clarke feels her phone vibrate in her back pocket. A surge of emotions rush through Clarke causing her to quicken her pace and Mount Bacon Everest to tremble but what if it’s Lexa?! Balancing the tray precariously between the wall and her body she struggles to open the door. On the third attempt, Clarke finally gets the door open, careful not to let it slam behind her and wake everyone else up.

“Good. Door open.” Raven says from the bed, typing away on her phone.

“Thanks for getting the door Rae,” Clarke says sarcastically. Raven looks up from her phone and gives Clarke a small shrug.

“Sorry. Bed comfy. Me lazy.”

“Too hungover to use full sentences?”

“Float me.”

Placing the tray of food on the dresser Clarke pulls out her phone to check her messages, her heart deflating slightly when she realizes it was just Raven.

 **Evil Genius Raven** : where are you???? did you sneak off in search of your bartender?

“No Raven, I did not sneak out to go find my bartender.”  

“Shame,” Raven says as she shakes Harper awake with a grunt that sounds oddly similar to “food.”  

“I’ll wake O,” Clarke says as she moves across the room.

“No wait!” Raven almost yells wincing at her loudness.

“Can we do the thing Clarke? Please?”  Raven pleads. Between Raven’s excited mischievous grin and Harper’s puppy dog eyes, Clarke finds it near impossible to deny them. Conceding, Clarke nods her head before her own mischievous smile lights up her face. Grabbing a pillow, Raven crawls across Clarke’s bed, patiently waiting as Clarke grabs a piece of bacon before kneeling beside Octavia’s head. Raven and Harper look on with wicked glee, egging Clarke on as she waves the bacon under the sleeping girl's nose. Clarke has to stifle a laugh when Octavia’s nose scrunches up, catching the scent of the bacon. The bacon passes beneath Octavia’s nose a few more times before her eyes snap open.

“BACON!” she yells sitting up quickly, causing Clarke to fall backwards. But Raven is prepared for Octavia’s sudden awakening and just as she sits up, Raven smacks her in the face with the pillow. Octavia falls back with a groan while Raven, Harper and Clarke erupt in laughter seemingly much too loud for three hungover girls.

“I hate you all,” Octavia huffs as she sits up ready for another attack, one that never comes.

“Oh god you guys have to see this. Her face is priceless,” Harper says body shaking with laughter, eyes shining with unshed tears. She holds her phone out to Raven, Clarke and Octavia who crowd around the small screen and watch as Octavia gets hit in slow motion. Octavia looked like a deer caught in headlights, her eyes were wide and fearful seconds after she realized she was going to be smacked in the face.

“Fuck you Harps,” Octavia grumbles while Clarke and Raven burst into another fit of giggles.

“Sorry O, but does a Mount Everest of bacon make up for it?” Clarke asks in an attempt to sooth the girl.

“Clarke I could kiss you!”

“I wouldn’t go kissing anyone until you get a mint in that dumpster you call a mouth,” Raven states sarcastically.

“You don’t spell like peaches and roses either,” Octavia replies, sticking out her tongue.

“Uhm. Clarke, why are there toothpicks with little flags in our food?” Harper asks.

“Because. That’s Mount Bacon Everest, Toast Hill, Scrambled Egg Dune, Waffle Highlands and Pancake Steppe’s. The flags identify them!” The three girls look at Clarke completely bewildered, unsure on how to respond.

“You are so weird,” Octavia laughs before grabbing a plate and loading it with food.

 

* * *

Clarke press her face against the cold window of the car, trying to soothe the rolling in her stomach. She loves Octavia, really, but the girl drives like a bat out of hell and slightly hungover Clarke is getting car sick. She watches the Montreal skyline fade from view with a somber heart, Lexa’s green eyes flashing through her mind.

“So Clarke, have you texted Hot Bartender?” Octavia asks, glancing at Clarke through the rearview mirror.

“No. I don’t know what to say.”

“Hey what’s up hello,” Raven sleepily mumbles getting a laugh out of everyone.

“Is that your pick up line Rae?” Clarke asks politely.

“Works like a charm.”

“Which is why you haven’t gotten in laid in how long again?” Octavia questions while Harper laughs from the front seat.

“Fuck off. Clarke hasn’t gotten laid in a year!” Harper turns around in the front passenger seat looking at Clarke with stunned amusement.

“Seriously Clarke?” Harper asks with a smirk prompting Clarke to kick the back of her seat.

“When was the last time you got laid Harper?” Clarke asks sardonically.

“Four days ago,” Octavia huffs, “Harper here is incredibly loud in the sack. Woke me up at three am the morning I had to open the gym.”

“What can I say? Monroe knows her way around the bedroom,” Harper replies nonchalantly. Clarke tunes the girls out as she stares down at her conversation with Lexa from the previous night (or was it early morning?). Her fingers hovering over the keys while she tries to think of the perfect message to send.  Flinging herself across the seat, Raven snatches the phone from Clarke’s hand. Her fingers move furiously across the screen as she types out a message, her back towards Clarke who is scrambling to get her phone back.

“Raven. No. What-stop give it here Malfoy,” Clarke cries her voice tight with anxiety. Raven’s fingers still as she looks at Clarke over her shoulder.

“Did you seriously just quote Harry Potter to me?” Raven asks erroneously.

“I might’ve,” Clarke growls as she tries to reach around Raven for the phone, arms flailing.

“Dork. I’m not even going to comment on the fact that you compared me to Malfoy! Wait till my father hears about this,” Raven states before giving the phone back to Clarke who snatches it back, leaning as far away as possible from Raven.

“Now who's the dork,” Clarke huffs looking at her screen.

“You’re both fucking dorks,” Octavia throws back at them, smirking at them in the mirror.

**_Clarke_ **

**_Heyyy_ **

“Sorry not sorry,” Raven laughs out. Clarke chucks her phone onto the seat between her and Raven before staring out the window, attempting to not think about Lexa but totally 100% thinking about Lexa. _Wannabe_ starts to play over the speakers and Clarke instinctually smiles, belting out the words with Raven, Harper and Octavia. Four songs later Clarke’s phone buzzes not once but twice. Clarke meets Raven’s eyes who grins wickedly, the girls dive for the phone at the same time fighting to be the first one to read the message.

“It’s-my-phone-Raven,” Clarke grunts struggling under Raven’s weight.

“You wouldn’t have texted her,” Raven yelps as Clarke sinks her teeth firmly into her hand, not hard enough to draw blood but enough to make Raven let go.

**Lexa**

**11:43am**

**hey! you driving today?**

**_Clarke_ **

**_Yes :( almost at the border_ **

**Lexa**

**long drive?**

**_Clarke_ **

**_Six hours :/ :/_ **

**Lexa**

**Baddd**

**_Clarke_ **

**_I wish we had stayed in MTL longer_ **

**Lexa**

**whyyy?**

**_Clarke_ **

**_So I could see you again_ **

 

Lexa doesn’t answer and Clarke just sits there clicking her phone on and off repeatedly, hoping she wasn’t too forward. But then again, fuck it. Clarke wasn’t guaranteed to see Lexa again so why not be honest?

As Clarke is pulling her car out of Octavia’s driveway, her phone dings with a new notification.

“Shit. Rae can you check who that is?”

“Hot Bartender,” Raven replies in a sing song voice.

Clarke’s cheeks blush and her stomach gives a swift swoop, she texted back! That was a good sign, right?

“What’s it say?” Clarke asks as she merges onto the highway heading south.

“I better be invited to the wedding,” Raven says as she reads the previous message Clarke sent.

“Raven, what’s it say?” Clarke asks, unable to hide the whine in her voice.

“Me too with a sad face.”

“HA!” Clarke hollers loudly slapping the steering wheel before taking her eyes off the road to smile at Raven.

“Do you want to respond?”

Clarke bites her lip as she tries to think of what to say, but her mind just keeps repeating ‘ _me too.’_

“I had a lot of fun last night!”

“You don’t want to send her a picture of your rack or anything close to flirtatious?!” Out of the corner of her eye Clarke can see Raven staring at her in pretend shock. Laughing Clarke shakes her head no, not that she would mind if Lexa did that. ‘ _What? I’m not a pervert! I just appreciate the female body….and Lexa is really hot’_ Clarke tells herself.

“Ok Princess…..done!”

The car swerves slightly when Clarke realizes that Raven is still typing away on her phone.

“Raven what else are you saying? Raven please tell me you did not say something else.” Clarke’s voice squeaking in panic.

“I was texting Octavia about your impending marriage, relax please. I’d like to make it home in one piece.”

Letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, Clarke turns the radio up and relaxes into her seat. It was going to be a long drive back to NYC.

 

* * *

 

The sun is just starting to set over the New York City skyline when Clarke and Raven finally get to their front door.

“I’m so ready to reunite with my bed,” Clarke says as she unlocks the door, swinging it open. She barely makes into through the door before suddenly stopping in her tracks, Raven bumping into her back. Monty, Jasper and Bellamy are sitting at the breakfast counter with forks frozen halfway to their mouths and bloodshot eyes, the heavy scent of marijuana hanging about them. Plates of food cover the counter, all holding various amounts of uneaten food that has undoubtedly come from the blonde’s fridge.

“Clarke! Raven!” Monty exclaims.

“What are you guys doing here?” Jasper asks innocently.

“Well goggle head, we actually live here. Unlike you three.” Raven retorts back, groaning when she notices the carton of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream on the counter.

“You munched on my ice cream? Not cool guys.” Menacingly, she takes a step forward, spooking Jasper who stumbles out of his chair in an attempt to put as much space between him and Raven. His hands raised defensively.

“Honestly you guys just have the best food in your fridge. Guess we lost track of time though.” Bellamy states with enough decency to look slightly guilty.

“Were you planning to eat all our food and disappear before we got home?”

“Pretty much,” Jasper answers earning a laugh from Clarke and grumbles from Raven.

“We would have realized that our food was missing,” Clarke says with a smile.

“I will forgive you assholes for eating my ice cream if you tell me there is still some greens to burn?” Raven asks, her voice demanding. Monty smirks as he holds out a joint for Raven, who takes it with a satisfied smile. Clarke walks to the nearest window and cracks it open letting the chilly January air in and hopefully the skunk smell out. Raven passes the joint to Clarke who takes a short pull, feeling her muscles relax as THC spreads through her body.

“Who wants Chinese?” she asks pulling out her phone already feeling the munchies.

 

They lounge around on the living room floor passing take out cartons around and catching up on New Year’s Eve shenanigans.

“Bell ended up taking a girl home and Jasper was left making out with himself again,” Monty says whimsically. A piece of chicken flies across the coffee table, hitting Monty square between the eyes.

“They were all low hanging fruit my friend,” Jasper replies defensively, “how was Montreal?”

Clarke opens her mouth to respond but closes it when her phone vibrates and an unread message from Lexa pops up, leaving Raven to tell the boys about their trip.  

**Lexa**

**back in ny?**

**_Clarke_ **

**_Yes! Having Chinese with friends_ **

**Lexa**

**I love Chinese**

**_Clarke_ **

**_Quel est votre plat préféré?_ **

**Lexa**

**grilled cheese :D**

**you?**

**_Clarke_ **

**_Tacos_ **

**_I don’t know what the french word_ **

**_for that is_ **

**Lexa**

**tacos :P**

“Is that your girlfriend Clarke?” Bell asks teasingly.

“If she’s blushing or making heart eyes at her phone, then yes.” Raven quips without looking up from her container of noodles.

“She isn’t my girlfriend!” Clarke retorts stealing a dumpling from Jasper. “But yes, it is Lexa.”

“Ooooh she has a name,” Bell says mockingly.

 

 

 

**_Clarke_ **

**_7:53pm_ **

**_quel âge avez-vous?_ **

**Lexa**

**24!! And U?**

**_Clarke_ **

**_22 :) allez-vous à l'université?_ **

**Lexa**

**No haha and you?**

**_Clarke_ **

**_J’ai tout juste diplôme!_ **

**Lexa**

**En quoi?**

**_Clarke_ **

**_Medicament_ **

**_Lexa_ **

**_english please? :)_ **

**_Clarke_ **

**_Ohh I studied pre-med_ **

**_Do you want me to text_ **

**_you in English or French?_ **

**Lexa**

**as you wish!**

**are you a doctor?**

**_Clarke_ **

**_Haha no I don’t know what_ **

**_I want to do._ **

**_Clarke_ **

**_I like drawing a lot_ **

**_Clarke_ **

**_But I like helping people_ **

**Lexa**

**that is very good. what do you draw?**

**_Clarke_ **

**_Everything :D_ **

**Lexa**

**Id like to see one day ;)**

 

Did…did she just flirt with me? Clarke is so stunned that she stares at her phone in silence.

“Clarke you want to play?” Jasper asks holding the box of _Cards Against Humanity_ up.

“Hell yes,” Clarke responds forgetting all about the phone in her hand and the unanswered text.

“Why am I sticky?” Jasper reads from the black card he is supposed to be judging. Clarke is currently leading score wise. Clarke has four black cards, Monty and Bellamy each have two, Jasper has one and Raven has zero.

Jasper pouts as he reads the first white card “Three dicks at the same time,” earning a laugh from everyone at the table. “Pac-Man uncontrollably guzzling cum. Ew guys. Don’t ruin Pac-Man for me!”

“Masturbation. Probably the truth.” Raven rolls her eyes while Monty laughs, snorting into his hand.

“Harry Potter erotica. Hmm this is a tough one guys.” Jasper sits there silently reading over the cards again, his face scrunched up in concentration.

“I am sticky because Harry Potter erotica!” He yells, waving the black card in the air.

“Ha! Yes!” Clarke cheers triumphantly grabbing the black card from his hand.

“Gotta love that Ginny/Hermione ship,” Jasper says looking wistfully at the wall.

“You’re disgusting,” Monty states.

Jasper just shrugs his shoulders but Clarke gives him a subtle fist bump.  

“I think this game is rigged,” Raven argues.

“You’re just bitter because you haven’t won,” Bellamy retorts.

“Yeah well. Whatever, I’m done for the night,” she says before plopping on the couch and turning the TV on.

“Tweedledee and Tweedledum we should probably get going too,” Bellamy states authoritatively.

“Am I Tweedledee or Tweedledum?” Monty asks excitedly.

“Clearly you’re Tweedledum,” Jasper answers.

“Let’s go you two,” Bell says rather loudly.  

“Awww alright,” they moan gloomily as they put on their jackets.

With a smile Bellamy corrects Jasper, stating that he is indeed Tweedledum.  As Clarke walks them to the door, the boys promise that they will be by in the next few days with new groceries. Clarke isn’t going to hold her breath on that one.

“Bye Raven,” they call before closing the door behind them. Clarke walks back into the living room and throws herself on top of Raven, who grunts loudly under the added weight of Clarke’s body.  

“Clarke.”

“No. You’re comfy,” Clarke says her voice muffled by Raven’s shoulder.

“At least move your phone. It’s digging into my hip!”

Remembering her phone and the girl with the striking green eyes, Clarke jumps off Raven and fumbles to get the phone out of her pocket while Raven looks on in amusement. Her heart starts to beat a little faster as she reads her unread messages.  There’s one from Lexa and four from Octavia.

_Octababe_

_5:47pm_

_I better be a bridesmaid_

_6:03pm_

_No. I better be the fucking maid of honor_

_6:45pm_

_DONT LET RAVEN DO IT_

_SHE WILL BLOW SOMETHING UP_

**Lexa**

**9:57pm**

**If that is ok**

 

Clarke’s heart melts a little at Lexa’s concern. Lexa is worried that asking to see my drawings crosses some sort of line, that’s adorable. Clarke flops back down onto the couch, fingers flying over the keys as she types out a response.

 

**_Clarke_ **

**_10:35pm_ **

**_Yes! :D just need to find a good one_ **

**_Clarke_ **

**_do you have any hobbies?_ **

 

“I drove home, I get to choose which show we get to watch.” Clarke says forthright, holding her hand out for the remote which Raven begrudgingly gives her. Clarke channel flicks until she comes across a rerun episode of Fear The Walking Dead, Raven groans in protest.

**_Clarke to Octababe:_ **

**_O, I’m not getting married_ **

**_at least not yet. but when i do_ **

**_you will be a bridesmaid. dont worry._ **

**Lexa**

**10:40pm**

**Uh**

**_Clarke_ **

**_Est-ce que tu as des loisirs?_ **

 

**Lexa**

**10:45pm**

**Oui! I play guitar**

 

**_Clarke_ **

**_that is really cool. what do you like to play?_ **

**Lexa**

**everything :)**

 

“Clarke if you aren’t going to even watch, I’m going to change the channel.”

Clarke wasn’t paying attention in the slightest, she was too busy texting Lexa. Normally Clarke watched FTWD with rapt attention, shushing anyone who even tried to talk to her while the show was on. Can you really blame me though? Alicia Clark was HOT and maybe the primary reason Clarke watched the show. But tonight, texting the green eyed wild haired Canadian was far more interesting than the beginning of the zombie apocalypse.  

“Mmmhmm,” she hums unaware that Raven had already changed the channel to the History Network. Clarke returns to reality when Lexa admits that she doesn’t like sprinkles on her ice cream. ‘But sprinkles are the best part!’ Clarke argues indignantly.

“Raven can you believe - wait. What are we watching?” Noticing that Fear The Walking Dead was no longer on.

“Shh. They’re explaining how to create an atomic bomb,” Raven breaths reverently.

 

 

 

**_Clarke_ **

**_11:25pm_ **

**_RAVEN IS WATCHING HOW TO CREATE AN_ **

**_ATOMIC BOMB_ **

**_YOU ARE MY MAID OF HONOR_ **

_Octababe_

_Fuck. Yes._

_She might blow us up still_

**_Clarke_ **

**_Please come save me_ **

 

If Clarke noticed that Raven kept mumbling “heart eyes,” she didn’t show it. She was too wrapped up learning about Lexa. Like the fact that Lexa’s favorite color was light blue (it wouldn’t be until much later that Clarke would realize the blue Lexa was talking about was the color of her eyes) or that her favorite animal was a giant squid or that Lexa enjoyed collecting knives and swords. If Clarke cared that Raven kept mumbling “heart eyes”....well. She didn’t care. Not one bit.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come talk to me and tell me things that you want to be canon in this fic! Would love to hear what you all are thinking! Or just come say hi and be my friend  
> @faqubetta.tumblr.com


	3. Shots! Shots! Shots!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa meets the girl with golden hair and sky blue eyes. Anya is overly nice, Indra gets mad and Lexa gets candles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bless @letalisnex for everything she does! Tried something different this chapter - Lexa's POV which means French! Dont worry the English translation is provided. The French might not be perfect but whatever. Let me know your thoughts on having Lexa's POV and having French side by side with English translation.

Chapter 3

January 2nd, 2016

Lexa didn’t know what had possessed her to cover Tris’ shift at the bar. It was the night after New Year’s Eve and she was exhausted from working a double the night before. The bar had been crazy and she had been moving non-stop all night. She was still exhausted and frankly over Jell-O shots.

Luckily tonight, the bar isn’t as busy, probably because the general population was still nursing their hangovers from the previous night.  What? It was a slow night and she was bored and the booze was right there! Lexa liked to break the rules sometimes...and she was secretly counting how many she had so she could pay for them later.

Lexa finds herself constantly checking her phone, looking at the time that seems to drag by - moving slower than molasses. She’s hoping for something, anything to make the time go by faster. All Lexa wants to do is crawl into her bed and watch Planet Earth, the Deep Ocean episode of course.

And then suddenly, that something, anything is standing across the dance floor tipping a shot back. Her breath catches as her eyes fall on a blonde angel. She’s with three other girls, laughing before throwing back a second round of shots and Lexa’s mouth is dry, her brain sputtering to a stop. She’s absolutely stunning. Lexa watches as Blondie moves further onto the dance floor and places her back to Lexa before starting to move her hips. Her eyes taking in the blonde’s backside and the way her pants hug her ass perfectly. The way her hips move...shit. It was putting Shakira to shame.

For the first time in one year, seven months, two weeks and two days (yes she’s been counting), Lexa wants to talk to a girl. Not that she hasn’t talked to plenty of girls in that time period but this time it’s different. Lexa wants to know her, she wants to know her name and the color of her eyes and the way her golden hair would feel between Lexa’s fingers. Someone bumps into the table startling Lexa from her reverie. She forces herself to keep her gaze everywhere and anywhere that isn’t Blondie’s backside, but more often than not she finds her gaze sliding over to the blonde regardless. A few times, she thinks she catches Blondie staring back at her, but in the pulsating club lights it’s hard to tell.

Lexa looks down at her phone, irritated that she still has a little over three hours till her shift ends when someone bumps into her table. Lexa can’t breathe. Blondie and her friends are standing right in front of her and she is more even more beautiful than Lexa could have expected. The first thing registering in her mind: her eyes are blue. Lexa attempts to school her features into a neutral expression but her brain is focused on the girls chest. The top buttons of her shirt are open, giving Lexa a perfect view of her cleavage. Blondie holds up four fingers and Lexa shakes her head imperceptibly trying to clear her head as she pours four Jell-O shots. When Lexa hands the change back to Blondie, Lexa decides that she should be called Gorgeous Blondie because she really is breathtaking, she just slides it back across the table towards Lexa. Gorgeous Blondie holds Lexa’s gaze and smirks, the glint of a challenge and something else shining in her eyes. Lexa can’t help but think that maybe tonight won’t be so boring after all.

Lexa is busy watching a cat video that Anya sent her, she was never one to slack off at work but tonight she just really didn’t care, (she had even snuck a few Jell-O shots, counting how many she consumed so she could pay for them later. Lexa was a good employee after all) when one of G.B’s (Gorgeous Blondie) friends comes up to her. The girl gestures at Lexa with a finger to ‘come here’, so she leans over the table until she can feel the girl’s breath ghosting her ear.  Lexa’s English isn’t perfect but she recognizes the words that fall from the girl’s lips tickling her ear.

“Are you gay?”

She pulls back, startled by the girl’s boldness. She was slightly irritated that the girl thought she could just ask that. They weren’t friends! They didn’t even know each other. But she was also slightly puzzled, was the girl asking for herself or a friend? Lexa was flattered but she wasn’t interested in the girl, she was interested in her friend. Nonetheless, Lexa felt her head shaking ‘yes’ while she looked past the girl, watching G.B dance. The Intrusive Friend looks over her shoulder, following Lexa’s gaze before turning her attention back to Lexa with a smirk. Lexa’s cheeks heat when she realizes that she has just been caught checking out G.B, but the friend gives Lexa a thumbs up as she dances away with a smile. Lexa’s stomach gives an excited lurch when she watches the friend say something into G.B’s ear who looks at her shocked. Unable to move or look away, Lexa just stands there while G.B walks up to her and orders two Jell-O shots. Lexa holds the shots out to her, but she pushes one back towards Lexa, gesturing that it’s for her. Lexa’s lips involuntarily pull into a smirk as she takes the cup from the girl. Again the girl pushes the change across the table to Lexa. _Is she flirting with me?_ Butterflies flutter around her stomach at the thought.

Her Jell-O shot count was up to four now and even though they were spread out through the evening she was starting to feel a small buzz coming over her. Gorgeous Blondie comes up to the table three, four, five more times and each time Lexa smirks at her. Lexa hasn’t smirked this much in forever and now that she’s started, it doesn’t seem like she can stop.

G.B leans across the table towards Lexa who meets her halfway. G.B’s hot breath against her ear sends a shiver down Lexa’s spine, her mouth drying with anticipation.

“What time do you get off?” Lexa looks back at her because she isn’t exactly clear on what the girl means. She makes a hand gesture that Lexa interrupts to mean ‘finish’. Understanding resonating through her. _What time do you finish?_ Checking the time on her phone she holds up two fingers. G.B smiles with a nod and walks away. A forgotten emotion runs through Lexa - excitement. It had been so long since Lexa was this excited, let alone this excited over a girl.

A list of things that currently made Lexa excited (in no particular order):

  1. Candles
  2. Cat videos
  3. Flannels
  4. Squids
  5. Fear The Walking Dead



G.B came back three more times, bringing Lexa’s shot total to a whopping eleven. Lexa wasn’t necessarily a lightweight, but she normally tried to cut herself off after the tenth shot just to be safe. Not to mention she was at work and getting too drunk was definitely frowned upon. But she was definitely feeling the eleven shots. She watches G.B grind back against her friend, a smile against her lips and her hips moving in wild abandon. She couldn’t stop the thoughts of G.B pushing back against her hips and grinding against her. Gorgeous Blondie’s eyes connect with Lexa’s, not for the first time that night, and Lexa can’t help but down her lip in yearning. She had just been caught staring while having not so friendly thoughts about G.B, it turned her on.

Before Lexa realizes it, it’s 2:30am and she’s in the staff room putting away the Jell-O shots when one of the security guards comes in looking for her.

“Lexa, y’a une fille qui te cherche.” _(Lexa, there’s a girl looking for you out there.)_

“ _Merci Nyko_ _(Thanks Nyko),”_ she responds head ducking down so no one can see her small smile. Her heart had sunken slightly when G.B hadn’t come back to the table before she finished but now it was soaring (and getting stuck in her throat, stomach filling with nervous energy).

She leaves the staff room and heads out onto the dance floor, walking over to Gorgeous Blondie when she finds her on the dance floor.

“Were you looking for me?” Lexa asks, lips moving slowly as the English words leave her mouth, voice thick with her French accent. The girl nods her head yes. Lexa watches her take out her phone and type something into it before turning it towards Lexa.

**_Je voulais juste te dire que tu es belle // I just wanted to say you’_ ** **_re beautiful_ **

Lexa is drunk, it’s a simple fact, she can’t help that she thinks this girl is beyond cute. She types back with a small smile.

_Arret trop mignon *blushing emoji*_ _// too cute stop_

 Lexa learns that Gorgeous Blondie has a name: _Clarke._ She enjoys the way the name bounces around her head, mirroring the butterflies in her stomach.

“Clarke” she breathes out inaudible in the loud club. Savoring the way her name tastes against her lips. Lexa hasn’t kissed anyone in one year, seven months, two weeks and two days but now she wants to. She wants to kiss Clarke but she’s shy and drunk and god it’s been too long. What if she fucks it up?

Lexa feels like she is having an out of body experience as she watches herself take the phone from Clarke and input her name and number before asking if Clarke would use the number. Lexa gazes at Clarke, hungry for her, enjoying the way a blush creeps up her neck before darkening her cheeks.

**_Can I kiss you? // puis-je t'embrasser?_ **

Her stomach somersaults as she reads Clarke's words, of course she wants to say yes but Lexa can’t resist making the girl work for it a little.

_peut_ _être ;) // maybe ;)_

**_How do I turn that maybe to a yes? // Comment puis-je me tourne que peut-être à_ ** **_un oui?_ **

_juste essaie, clarke // just try, Clarke_

Lexa is watching Clarke and the way her lips pull up into a breathtaking grin, her eyes sparkling like the stars in the sky. And then Clarke’s hand is wrapped around the back of Lexa’s neck and she is being pulled in, their lips meeting for the first time. Lexa didn’t want to be as cliche as to say that fireworks exploded behind her closed eyes, but then she would have been lying. She was seeing stars, air was being sucked from her lungs and her heart was threatening to escape. Clarke tasted like a strawberry Jell-O shot, sweet and tangy.  A flavor Lexa would be more than happy to get drunk off of again and again.

Lexa’s fist clutches Clarke’s collar, pulling at it gently until their bodies are flushed against one another, Lexa relishing the feeling of Clarke’s chest pressing into her. When Clarke sucks her bottom lip into her mouth, Lexa can’t stop the moan that escapes. Lexa wants more. The thought scares her into slowing the kiss down, her hand coming up to cup Clarke’s cheek tenderly. The kiss becomes softer, sweeter, everything a drunken club kiss shouldn’t be. It terrifies Lexa. She pulls away slowly, studying Clarke, memorizing the way her lips look after a kiss. The overhead lights have turned on making it easy to see her swollen, pink lips. Lexa has to control herself not to lean forward and kiss them again. When Clarke opens her eyes and meets Lexa’s gaze, Lexa’s heart gives a painful lurch before it stops beating. This girl has the most beautiful blue eyes Lexa has ever seen. Her eyes are blown, black surrounded by the prettiest blue, her eyes almost look like they are shining with the constellations. Lexa has to leave before she is sucked into Clarke’s eyes and lost forever.

“I have work,” Lexa says sadly, a frown tugging at her lips. Clarke nods her head in understanding, before taking a few steps away from Lexa. She can’t let her go, not yet, reaching out Lexa grabs Clarke’s hand and pulls her around. Cradling Clarke’s face with both hands, Lexa places a gentle kiss on the blonde’s lips. When Clarke tries to deepen the kiss, Lexa pulls away with hooded eyes and a smirk. She shakes her head “no” at Clarke, even though it pains her to turn down. Lexa holds out a hand for Clarke’s phone.

_texte moi demain? // text me tomorrow?_

Lexa knows she is being weak, but hell, you kiss Clarke and then tell me you wouldn’t be weak too. She knows that it is probably the alcohol in her system mixed with the high from kissing Clarke, but Lexa needed to know that Clarke would remember her.

**_Only if you answer ;) // seulement si vous r_ ** **_épondez ;)_ **

_je vais // i will_

Clarke leans in for another kiss and Lexa can’t help but rub her nose against Clarke’s, the ghost of a smile on her lips. Fuck when did she become this mushy? Lexa growls when Clarke sucks her bottom lip into her mouth, desire pooling instantly in Lexa’s stomach. Lexa is about to deepen the kiss when Clarke sighs and pulls back with a smirk before walking away from Lexa. Lexa heads back to the staff room but not before lovingly gazing at Clarke’s backside.

 

* * *

 

Lexa is changing into shorts and a tank top for bed when her phone vibrates loudly on her desk.

 

**_Clarke_ **

**_4:47am_ **

**_Je ne pouvais pas attendre pour le texte vous_ **

**_(I couldn’t wait to text you)_ **

 

Lexa brushes her teeth with a smile while she thinks about Clarke’s text. It was beyond adorable. As she crawls into bed she texts back.

**Lexa**

**4:52am**

**Clarke? Right**

 

**Clarke**

**_Oui!_ **

_(yes)_

 

They exchange a few more messages before Lexa has to say goodnight, her eyes barely able to stay open. She has no idea why she tells Clarke “take care and see you soon,” she just hopes it’s true and that she gets the chance to see the blue-eyed beauty again. Even though the voice in her head is saying that she is being drunk and naive, love is weakness after all. But then she remembers the feeling of Clarke’s hands grabbing at her skin and those thoughts take a back seat. Future Lexa’s problem. She falls asleep with butterflies in her stomach, heart full with affection and the taste of _more_ on her lips.

 

* * *

 

**January 3rd, 2016**

If you asked Lexa why she had given her number to a blonde blue-eyed beauty, she wouldn’t be able to give you a real reason other than she felt like she NEEDED to. Lexa saw those bright blue eyes and the part of her soul that yearned for the clear blue skies of a summer day ignited, a magnetism spreading through her that she was unable to resist. Clarke’s eyes were plastered behind her eyelids, searing into Lexa, burning a fire in her. And those lips, fuck those lips. Lips that moved perfectly against Lexa’s, lips that Lexa wanted to bite, suck and taste again. Lexa was fucked. Utterly and royally fucked.

 

Lexa groans and presses the palm of her hands into her eyes. Clarke’s message burning against her eyelids.

**_Clarke_ **

**_So I could see you again_ **

 

Drunk Lexa had mildly fucked sober Lexa over. She had spent months nearly years building her walls, keeping everyone out. It was the easiest way to deal with people leaving. Gustus, Costia and Titus. All gone. Peyton Sawyer had the right idea: “Everyone leaves.” Love is weakness. Lexa had avoided this type of position for _months,_ one where her heart beat wildly and Lexa wanted _more._ But it didn’t matter because Clarke was gone and Lexa hadn’t even gotten a chance. Maybe someday. Lexa told herself that she was ok missing out on getting to know Clarke because love is weakness and everyone left. Clarke is...what’s the word without sounding overly fucking cliché after one night? Clarke is...Clarke, fuck if Lexa didn’t want to know exactly what that meant. Another frustrated groan falls from her lips as Anya enters the living room.

“Qu’est-ce qui se passe, Commandeur?” _(“What’s wrong Commander?”)_  

“J’ai donné mon numéro à une fille hier soir.” ( _“I gave my number to a girl last night.”)_

“Vraiment?” _(Really?)_ “You did?” Anya asks skeptically slipping between English and French, shocked by Lexa showing interest in a girl.

“Oui.” _(“Yes.”)_

“Est-ce qu’elle t’a texté?” _(“Did she text you?”)_

“Elle a dit qu’elle aurait aimé rester à Montréal un peu plus longtemps pour me revoir.” _(“She said she would of liked staying in Montreal a bit longer so she could see me again)_ ,” Lexa looks at Anya with troubled eyes.

“Est-ce que tu veux la revoir?” _(“Do you want to see her again?”)_ Anya asks, her voice full of skepticism, she wasn’t quite sure how to handle the situation.

Costia had been gone for almost two years and ever since then Lexa had sworn off girls, and most of the population. A select few were allowed within Lexa’s walls like Anya and Indra. But there really wasn’t any way to keep them out because Anya was her sister and Indra was their roommate (and really good friend).

“Si elle était encore ici, j’aurais aimé la connaître un peu plus, oui.” Lexa states stoically. _(“If she was still around, I would have liked to know her more, yes.”)_  

“Alors pourquoi tu ne la texte pas? Qu’est ce que tu as à perdre? De toute façon, ton charme a besoin d’un peu de travail” _(“So why don’t you just text her back? What do you have to lose? Besides, your game could use a little work.”)_ , Anya says with a smirk, eyes challenging.

“J’ai du charme en masse, Anya,” _(“I have plenty of game, Anya”)_ Lexa replies incredulously.

“Ouais, montre-moi ce « charme » de temps en temps.” _(“Yeah you’ll have to show me this ‘game’ sometime.”)_ Anya’s voice shaking with a laugh.

Lexa resists the urge to throw something at her older sister, she has plenty of ‘game’. Wordlessly she picks up her phone, fingers hovering over the keys. Thoughts of Costia try to force their way into the forefront of Lexa’s mind, but instead she thinks of Clarke. Clarke and the way her lips felt against Lexa’s own and the way Clarke's tongue tasted in her mouth and the brilliant blue of her eyes. Letting out a shaky breath Lexa presses her fingers to the keys.

**Lexa**

**Me too**

 

Anya watches as Lexa slowly picks her phone up, eyes focused on the screen with fingers hovering just over the keys. A cloud of emotions pass over Lexa’s features. Anya feels a pang of sympathy for her sister, realizing that Costia must be on her mind. Costia had broken Lexa in a way that Anya had never seen before. (It had taken Lexa months to wash the clothes that Costia had left behind, then it had taken months for Lexa to not cry when she saw anything that reminded her of her old love.) But then Lexa is letting out a breath and pressing her fingers to her screen, typing out a message. Her face remains stoic but Anya knows that inside, Lexa is fighting. She knows how hard this one seemingly simple action must be for her sister.

“Est-ce qu’aller acheter des chandelles te fera du bien?” _(“Would candle shopping make you feel better?”)_

 Lexa’s ears perk up at that, a small smile easily pulling at her lips.

“Peut-être.” _(Maybe.)_ Lexa replies sheepishly.

“Allez, Commandeur. Je t’acheterai une chandelle.” _(“Come on Commander, I’ll buy you a candle)_ ,” Anya says with a small smile but already regretting it.

 She was positive that Lexa would return with nearly half a dozen candles and if Indra found out...Anya would be in big trouble. The apartment was already covered in candles that Lexa kept buying, they were living inside a giant fire hazard.  

“Ouais!” _(“Yes!”)_ Lexa hollers, jumping up from the couch and practically skipping to the door.

Anya follows her at a less excited pace, stopping when Lexa turns to her in the open doorway.

“Est-ce que ça veut dire que tu seras moins gentille? Parce que ça me fait un peu peur.” (“Does this mean you’ll stop being nice? Because it’s kind of freaking me out.”)

“Tais-toi, sale bouffon.” _(“Shut up you loser.”)_ Anya says with a playful shove, Lexa stumbling backwards into the hallway. Lexa smirks before actually skipping down the hall. Anya can’t help but wish she hadn’t opened her mouth.  

 

* * *

 

Five candles later, Lexa is sitting on the floor of the living room trying to decide which candle to light first. S’mores? Mango Madness? Midsummer’s Night? Apple Orchard? Vanilla Cupcake? It’s a tough decision but eventually Lexa lights the Vanilla Cupcake candle, placing it on the coffee table. She flops onto the couch with a satisfied sigh before pulling out her phone to text Clarke.

**Lexa**

**Back in ny?**

 

She turns the TV on, flipping to a channel that is having a Fear The Walking Dead marathon.

**_Clarke_ **

**_Yes! Having Chinese with friends_ **

 

Lexa is in the middle of texting Clarke when Indra walks through the front door. She takes five steps into the living room before she notices the new candles on the table.

“Branwada ! Tu as encore acheté des chandelles?” _(“Branwada! You bought more candles?”)_ Indra asks her voice slightly irritated.

Lexa just shrugs and attempts what she hopes is an innocent expression, it was Anya’s idea after all.

“L’idée d’Anya.” _(“Anya’s idea.”)_

“ANYA!” Indra yells looking pissed.

“Lexa, on avait eu une entente. Plus de chandelles avant que tu finisses celles que tu as déjà.” _(“Lexa, we had an agreement. No new candles until you finished the old ones.”)_ Anya strides into the living room just as Lexa is saying “Mais Indra, ils avaient « Cupcake à la vanille ». « Cupcake à la vanille, Indra! » _(“But Indra, they had vanilla cupcake. Vanilla cupcake Indra!”)_

_“_ Anya, tu ne l’as pas laissé acheter encore plus de chandelles!” _(“Anya, you did not let her get more candles!”)_

_“_ Traitre” _(“Traitor”)_ , Anya throws at Lexa, “D, Lexa se morfondait pour une fille. Ça a été nécessaire! En plus, ça me rendait anxieuse en la regardant toute mielleuse comme ça.” _(“D, Lexa was being mopey over a girl. I_ _t was necessary! I had to! It was freaking me out seeing her all sappy and shit.”)_

Indra looks at Lexa, who is giving her her best attempt at puppy dog eyes. “Anya, on dirait qu’on est en train de vivre une mauvaise episode de « My Weird Addiction » avec Lexa et ses sacrées chandelles.” _(“Anya, we are living a bad episode of ‘My Weird Addiction’ with Lexa’s obsession with candles”)_ , Indra huffs but there isn’t any malice behind her words. “Alors, une fille?” _(“A girl, huh?”)_ She asks as she pushes Lexa’s legs off the couch so she can sit down.

“Oui, tu savais déja que j’aimais les filles, Indra.” _(“Yes. I like girls Indra, you know this.”)_

_“_ Ok, gros malin. C’est qui?” _(“Ok smart ass. Who is she?”)_

_“_ Une américaine avec qui elle a roulé une pelle quand elle était soûle!” _(“An American she drunkenly made out with!”)_ Anya calls over her shoulder as she wanders into the kitchen, returning with three beers. Indra raises an eyebrow at Lexa, shocked, after all it had been a while for Lexa.

Anya hands Lexa a beer who twists the top off and takes a deep swig before speaking.

“Elle est vraiment belle.” _(“She’s very pretty.”)_

Her cheeks slightly burning with a blush. Surprising Lexa, the older girls say nothing else about the topic. Instead they drink their beer and watch TV together. But Lexa’s mind soon drifts back to the blue-eyed American. Clarke informed Lexa that she was an artist and Lexa had asked to see some of her artwork. Except Clarke hadn’t texted back and now Lexa was worried that she had overstepped.

**Lexa**

**9:57pm**

**If that is ok**

 

Lexa sits there patiently, trying to focus on Elyza Lex slaying zombies but nerves gnaw at her stomach lining.

**_Clarke_ **

**_10:35pm_ **

**_Yes! :D just need to find a good one_ **

 

Lexa sighs in relief. She becomes absorbed in texting Clarke that she doesn’t notice Anya and Indra giving her strange looks or looking unnerved that Lexa keeps smiling at her phone. Lexa is so absorbed in her phone that she doesn’t even notice Elyza Lex and Alicia Clark kissing (again, Lexa had already seen this episode a bunch of times. She was just waiting for the next season to begin). She was too consumed with learning about Clarke. Like the fact that her favorite color was the burnt orange of a sunset (but it would later become the green of Lexa’s eyes) or that her favorite animal was a lion or that Clarke loved hiking and camping. If Lexa cared that she was making “heart eyes” at her phone….well, she didn’t care. Not one bit.  

  



	4. Crossing Borders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke throws a small tantrum; Raven saves the day, takes selfies and beats Bellamy. Clarke's world tilts.  
> And oh yeah. Clarke sees Lexa again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured everyone deserved a new chapter after going another week without Lexa on The 100. Special shout out to my fantastic beta letalisnex who without this would all be half formed thoughts.

Chapter 4

The flood gates of communication opened leading to a constant flow of messages between Clarke and Lexa. Sleep was the only break from the constant texting, even then both would stay up well past midnight exchanging messages. Neither girl minded of course, some days Clarke lived for Lexa’s late night messages. Those nights, it felt like the words they exchanged were quiet, private and oh-so-personal. Clarke learned about Lexa’s recurring nightmare where she was chased by a _pauna_ , Lexa learnt about Clarke’s rocky relationship with her mother; there was a certain thrill behind each word, each message that couldn’t be described. Clarke could only describe it as the ‘exciting, peacefulness that came with the first snowfall’. It wasn’t always easy though; there were bumps and obstacles. The language barrier at times was a problem and Google Translate didn’t always do the best job. So Clarke took the initiative of trying to learn French from Monty, a slow and painful process for the impatient blonde. She didn’t tell Lexa that she was learning French, she wanted it to be a surprise. And Clarke didn’t know that Lexa had been practicing her English with Anya, because she too had gotten sick of having to rely on Google Translate and various other French to English dictionaries. There wasn’t much they could do about the hundred of miles separating but they were both secretly working on trying to eliminate the language gap.    

* * *

 

“Clarke, you’ve been texting each other for a month. It’s totally acceptable to invite her to Octavia’s party. Hell, O demanded that you invite her!”

Clarke sat on the couch staring at her phone, trying to convince her fingers to produce a text message but the stupid appendages wouldn’t listen. She knew what she wanted to say but the words were a jumbled mess inside her.

“Rae, I don’t even know how to ask! And what if…what if she says no?” Clarke finishes dejectedly.

The logical and reasonable part of Clarke never expected to see Lexa again but now they were talking constantly and they were going to be within _100 miles of each other_. That was so close!

She let hope blossom in her chest at the thought of seeing Lexa again, the possibility of _more_ spreading through her like a wildfire, eating away at everything inside of her.

“Clarke, either you do it or I do. I’m sick of seeing you make heart eyes at your phone and it’s clear that Lexa is interested.” Raven huffs angrily giving Clarke a pointed glare. Taking a deep breath, Raven continues, “Give Lexa the benefit of the doubt - she probably wants to see you just as much as you want to see her.”

Raven’s amber eyes hold Clarke’s gaze, daring her to challenge Raven’s words but Clarke withers under the piercing gaze. Clarke nods her head sharply before picking up her phone and pressing her fingers to the screen.

The instant after her thumb hits the send key, Clarke’s phone is flying across the room, bouncing off the carpet and onto the hardwood floor with a definite thud.  Raven looks at Clarke in complete astonishment.  

“What the actual fuck Clarke?”

“I texted her! But I didn’t want to see her response!” Clarke attempts to explain with dignity, staring at her phone across the room.

“Clearly. So the logical decision was to chuck your phone across the room?”

“Uhm, yes?” Clarke asks uncertainly with a fake smile that quickly turns genuine, her blue eyes lighting up. Raven looks at Clarke like the girl has gone mad but Clarke’s smile is contagious and it isn’t long before her own face is pulling into a face splitting grin.

“Oh-kay you spaz. Let me know what she says,” Raven says as she retreats down the hall towards her room. Clarke grunts in response as she grabs her sketch book from the table. She rifles through it’s pages, passing multiple sketches of Lexa’s face and tattoos (not that anyone but Clarke knew that. Clarke may or maynot have done some serious facebook stalking. It was kosher because they were facebook friends but checking someones facebook almost daily to look was probably slightly creepy. Clarke internally argued that it was for the sake of her art but really she just wanted to see Lexa’s face). She stops at her current drawing: Lexa’s eye was in the center of the page. Except this sketch was different than the others before it. Lexa’s iris reflected an unknown forest filled with tall evergreens. It was done in black and white except the trees, the trees had been colored lightly in a dark green. It was really a striking piece of work, one that Clarke was most proud of even though it was only partially completed. Clarke begins to draw in more trees, filling the iris in even more. Had this been any other day Clarke’s sole focus would have been her drawing, but today wasn’t any other day, today Clarke asked Lexa to visit. Say goodbye to your attention span Clarke. She couldn’t stop her eyes from roaming, staring at her phone petulantly. With each passing minute Clarke was growing more and more curious. Had Lexa responded yet? If she had, did she say yes….or no? “No, I have to stay positive” Clarke tells herself, pressing her pencil a little too firmly to the paper.

Finally, the anxiety and curiosity become too much for Clarke and she leaps from the coach, quickly striding to pick up her phone. Clicking the sleep button, she watches as her screen blinks on but ugly green and white lines run across her screen. Clarke presses the button again in quick succession praying that the lines will disappear...they don’t.

“Fuck.” Clarke whines, frustrated with herself. She broke her phone because she was an anxious mess.

“Did she say no?” Raven yells from her room.

Raven.

Clarke sprints across the living room her feet sliding on the hardwood flooring. She crashes into the doorway of Raven’s room, bracing herself against the doorframe. Raven was lying on her bed, Chester curled up on her stomach, reading a monster sized book.

“Raven,” she huffs.

“Yes?”

“My phone broke…Isn’t he cold?” Clarke asks nodding her head towards Chester, Raven’s mechanical pet cat.

“Nah, I added a heating function to Chester for the winter so he’s nice and toasty,” Raven states as she lovingly rubs Chester’s head earning a loud purr.

“Let me see it,” Raven states as she moves from the bed to her work bench.

Clarke walks further into the room placing her phone in Raven’s waiting hand.

“Can you fix it?” Clarke asks, trying to keep the whine out of her voice. Raven is silent as she pops the screen off of Clarke’s phone, looking at the inner components.  

“Yeah, give me a few,” Raven states picking up a tool and fiddling with the phone. Clarke hovers behind Raven, watching her work over the girl's shoulder.  

“Clarke.” Raven scolds.

“Right, sorry, I’ll wait over there.” Clarke says, backing up to sit on Raven’s bed. Absentmindedly Clarke rubs the top of Chester's head, a pleasant warmth spreading through her fingers and relieving some of Clarke’s stress. The sound of Raven tinkering with Clarke’s phone echos into the silence making time seem to drag on.

“I’m not saying I’m a genius but I’m a genius.” Raven says spinning around in her chair a smile on her face as she holds the phone out towards Clarke.

“You fixed it?” Clarke asks excitedly. Raven nods her head. “Rae you are a genius!” Taking her phone from Raven, Clarke sighs happily as a photo of her, Raven and Octavia all smiling and laughing lights up the screen. Clarke frowns as she checks her inbox, no new message from Lexa. She clicks on Lexa’s name bringing up their conversation.

**_Clarke_ **

**_So Octavia is turning 21 in 2 weeks_ **

**_and I’m going to be in Arkadia for her party_ **

 

**_And you’re invited because_ **

**_I’d really like to see you again_ **

 

**_Your sister can come too!_ **

**Read 4:54pm**

Nerves coil in Clarke’s stomach as she sees that Lexa has read the message. Her finger slides along the screen revealing the time she sent the message. 1:27pm.

“What’s wrong?” Raven asks, studying Clarke’s somber expression.

“Oh, uh...nothing. She just didn’t answer. No biggie.” Clarke says, swallowing the bitterness that has worked its way up her throat, forcing her voice to sound casual. It’s only been a few hours...but Lexa typically answered as soon as she read the message. Clarke mentally crossed her fingers hoping that she didn’t cross some boundary.

“Yet. Don’t worry Princess. She’ll text you back.”

“Yeah. She’s probably just busy or checking her schedule before she answers. It’s not a big deal. I’m going to go get ready for dinner. You’re still coming right?” Clarke asks Raven’s back, the mechanic hunched over her workbench again.

“Is the flux capacitor needed for time travel?”

“Uhm?”

Raven spins around in her chair looking completely exasperated by the blonde.

“ _Back To The Future…._ come on Clarke.”

“Right….so that’s a yes?”

“Yes that’s a yes. But I mean if we are getting technical there are other methods of time travel…”

Clarke flees the room as Raven starts rambling knowing that the mechanic could be talking for a while. Once Raven started talking nerdy sometimes it was best to escape because she could ramble for HOURS. Sometimes, Raven’s nerd speak annoyed Clarke to no end, like when Clarke was trying to sleep and Raven was across the room rambling about Star Trek. But even on those days, Clarke loved Raven and the nerd that had quickly become her best friend and roommate.

* * *

 

_Clarke is busy hanging her Gryffindor banner over her bed when someone knocks on the open door. Turning she sees a raven-haired girl standing in the doorway, a stack of boxes in her arms._

_“Oh thank god. At least you’re not Slytherin. I was hoping for another Ravenclaw (god more puns) but I guess Gryffindor isn’t that bad.” Clarke scowls at the girl’s words, what was wrong with the best house at Hogwarts? But if this girl was going to be her roommate Clarke didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot so she forces her lips into a smile._

_“Hi, I’m Clarke Griffin,” Clarke states jumping down from the bed, hand sticking out. The raven-haired girl’s face lights up with a pleasant smile, eyes shining jovially._

_“Griffin….in Gryffindor. Wow.” She rearranges the boxes in her arms before thrusting her hand into Clarke’s._

_“I’m Raven.”_

_“And you’re making fun of me for being in Gryffindor?” Clarke says with a laugh, lips pulling into a matching smile._

_They spent the first two days living together arguing over which house was better, the next three arguing over which book was the best movie. The second week, they argued over Star Wars and Star Trek, the third week wether or not Pluto deserved to be a planet. After that it becoming best friends was inevitable, there weren’t many people who could keep up with Clarke’s inner nerd, Raven was also fiercely loyal, intelligent (not quite unlike a Gryffindor Clarke points out often)._

* * *

 

Lexa’s phone buzzes in her back pocket momentarily distracting her as her stomach flutters. She already knows that it’s Clarke, everyone else would call her if there was an emergency.

Mentally she tries to remember that she has so far counted 124 cups, repeating the number till she is sure that she will not forget it before pulling her phone out. Her stomach drops as she reads the translated message, she’s so startled that she nearly forgets the count. Nearly. Shit.

 

“C’est quoi le problème, là?” (“I don’t understand what the problem is?”) Anya asks her voice tight with frustration. Clarke invited Lexa to a party and Anya didn’t understand why Lexa hadn’t responded with a resounding ‘yes!’ Lexa herself didn’t fully understand why she hadn’t done that either instead of just letting the message sit there. Unanswered. For two days. Guilt swirling miserably inside her at how rude she was being.

“Je travaille.” (“I have work.”) Lexa states obviously.

“Conneries. Elle t’a texté deux semaines en avance, du temps en masse pour changer ton quart de travaille. Demande à Ryder, il t’aime bien.”  (“Bullshit. She texted you two weeks in advance, plenty of time to trade shifts. Ask Ryder, you’re his favorite.”)  Anya searches her sister’s face, trying to find the real source to the problem. Except Lexa had become so increasingly good at masking her emotions that not even Anya could see past them this time. Letting out a huff of annoyance Anya throws her hands up, wandering off to her bedroom. Her voice ringing out clearly as she leaves. “C’est quoi le but de texter Clarke si tu ne veux pas la revoir?” (‘What’s the point of even talking to Clarke if you aren’t going to see her?’)

 

Anya’s words reverberate loudly within her, Lexa knew that Anya was right not that she was going to openly admit that. The truth was she wanted to see Clarke. Really badly. Another fact that Lexa could under no circumstance would tell Anya or Indra, shuddering at the thought of the possible endless teasing that would surely follow. Lexa never really allowed herself to entertain the thought of seeing Clarke again.  But now Clarke had planted the seed of thought and Lexa was filled with trepidation. On one hand she was excited to see Clarke in person because it would mean that it all hadn’t been just a dream; on the other hand she was terrified of getting close to someone again. She wasn’t sure she could handle that just yet. Mentally she weighs the decision as if she was commanding an entire army, looking at it from all angles. She liked Clarke, a lot and had even grown accustomed to their near constant communication. She missed Clarke. Which annoyed her because Lexa was under the assumption that they hadn’t spent enough time together to warrant those feelings. She also wouldn’t terribly mind seeing Clarke’s brilliant blue eyes and beautiful smile again...really what did Lexa have to lose?   Fuck it, she says to herself as she picks up her phone with butterflies in her stomach.  

 

**Lexa**

**Yes! Id love to see you again :)**

  


Lexa crosses her fingers hoping that Clarke hasn’t written her off because she took too long to respond. While Lexa waits she texts Ryder asking him to cover her shift for the party. Now she just has to survive the next 11 days ……..

* * *

 

In 10 days Clarke was going to see Lexa again, but to Clarke that seemed like an agonizingly long time. With four days to go, Clarke started getting anxious. Her stomach would tighten every time she thought about Lexa. Which, for the record, happened quite a lot. Like all the time actually. Clarke liked Lexa, a lot which only added to her nerves. The night before the party Clarke couldn’t sleep, spending most of the night tossing and turning.  Eventually she fell asleep dreaming of Lexa, a version of Lexa that was mad at her for burning 300 of her warriors.

  
“Why the hell is taking Raven so long?” Bellamy huffs. Clarke shrugs her shoulders in response not trusting herself to speak. Her stomach knotted so tightly that she was afraid of projectile vomiting if she opened her mouth, like that scene from Pitch Perfect. Yuck. Shuddering as the image pops unwillingly into her mind.  Standing here waiting for Raven was making her stomach hurt even more, she needed to be moving or doing something, distracting herself and not thinking about green eyes and wild brown hair.

“Raven!” Bell calls down the hallway.

“I’m coming jeez. I had to finish wrapping O’s present. Which will be the best gift she’s ever gotten.”

“You wish Reyes. I know my sister and my gift is going to blow yours out of the water.” Bellamy states puffing out his chest proudly. Clarke laughs at him, Raven just rolls her eyes.

“I thought we were leaving?” Raven retorts as she strides past them and out the front door. Clarke and Bellamy share an amused look before following Raven into the elevator.  

 

Raven and Bellamy sprint out of the elevator rushing towards the parking lot, fighting over who gets to ‘ride shotgun’. Their arms are a tangled mess as they push and shove each other while Jasper hangs out the passenger window of Monty’s car egging them as they scramble for the locked door.

“Come on Raven play dirty!... Bell you better not lose!....Oh Raven going in with the teeth!”

Clarke strolls across the parking lot at a leisurely pace letting them fight (she was used to it, this was a common occurrence when traveling with the two) while she texts Lexa.   

**_Clarke_ **

**_See you tonight :D_ **

 

“Clarrrrrke!” Raven grunts struggling beneath Bellamy’s weight finally pushing him off as she hears the door unlock. She pulls the door open quickly just wide enough for her to squeeze into the front seat, locking the door behind her as Bellamy pulls on the handle. Raven sticks her tongue out at Bellamy as he glares the through the glass at her, dejectedly he slides into the backseat with a sullen expression. Raven holds her phone up as Clarke slides into the driver's seat, angling her phone so the camera can catch all three of them before pressing the shutter button. The sound of the shutter clicking sounds out loudly through the car followed by Clarke’s phone dinging with a new notification. Clarke looks at the Snapchat from Raven: Bellamy is in the backseat sulking like a teenager while Raven and Clarke smile at the camera. Clarke laughs at the caption “Some of us are more excited than others for O’s 21st,” pressing the buttons on her phone to take a screenshot. Raven laughs loudly as her phone dings with a snapchat, Bellamy flipping off the camera looking even more sullen, if that was possible.  

As Clarke backs out of the parking spot she sees Jasper standing through the sunroof, arms opened wide, wind blowing through his hair.

“Road trip bitches!” he yells loudly. Clarke meets Monty’s gaze, he looks ashamed but the wide smile on his face betrays how he really feels.

Clarke doesn’t even notice that Raven has stolen the aux cord and is blasting some weird metal rock band, she’s too busy counting the mile markers. Each one bringing her closer and closer to Lexa.

  


It’s a little after 9pm and the party is in full swing, Clarke can already feel the booze flowing through her veins. She wasn’t drunk but she definitely wasn’t sober. Octavia begged Clarke to match her shot for shot and Clarke couldn’t say no to the birthday girl. She was just hoping that O slowed down a bit after their last shot (the fifth one) because Clarke wanted to be somewhat coherent when Lexa showed up (‘ _if_ she shows up’ the Negative Nancy in her says). She’s sipping on a cup of water while Harper recounts the latest sexcapade between Lincoln and Octavia, one that Harper apparently interrupted. Clarke’s phone buzzes distracting her (but really did she need to hear about Octavia licking chocolate off Lincoln’s abs?!) as an unknown number pops up.

**UNKNOWN NUMBER**

**Clarke, this is Anya.**

**Lexa’s phone does not work internationally.**

**I believe we are here.**

  


Harper stops mid-sentence as Clarke squeals, who would later swear that was a lie. It wasn’t. Clarke feels overwhelmed and too drunk to see so suddenly Lexa, she thought she would get a warning. Like “Hey we just crossed the border!” or “Hey we’ll be there in 20!” not some sneak attack! Her stomach tightens and rolls, the sensation to throw up rising in her throat. “God having a crush sucks!” Clarke internally screams.

“Princess?” Raven asks puzzled.

“Lexa. Here.” She’s so nervous that ability to form full sentences has eluded her. Raven tries to stop the smirk tugging at her lips, but she fails miserably as a shit eating grin spreads across her face.

“Well come on let's go see your girl, I want to see the disgusting amount of in-person heart eyes.”

Raven grabs Clarke’s hand and drags her away from Monty and Harper, moving through the party towards the front door.

Clarke lets Raven drag her, torn between sprinting ahead of the mechanic and turning around and locking herself in Octavia’s room….well maybe not in there because she was sure that the birthday girl was intending on having birthday sex. And that was something she did not need to witness after just hearing Harper’s very detailed story. It was her desire to see Lexa outweighing her desire to see “Linctavia” (really she had no desire to see that) that makes Clarke rush to the front door.  As she pulls it open, the butterflies in her stomach which have been fluttering furiously threaten to rip through her ribcage when her eyes land on Lexa. She’s standing with her hands tucked into her back pockets while she leans towards a taller girl, engrossed in the conversation. She watches Lexa, taking in the obvious stiffness in her posture, the slight downturn of her lips. Clarke is completely enamored with Lexa that she doesn’t notice Anya turn to stare at her. Clarke watches as Lexa turns her head to follow Anya’s eyes, her words dying out when her eyes lock on Clarke. Clarke descends the front steps slowly unsure how to greet Lexa, does she hug her or shake her hand? They’ve been talking for over a month, Clarke feels like she knows Lexa but it’s only the second time they’re seeing each other. They stare at each other, eyes drinking in each other’s face. Lexa’s hand twitches by her side as something flashes in her eyes and that’s all Clarke needs to step into the Canadian girl’s space. Clarke’s arms wrap loosely around Lexa’s waist just as Lexa wraps her arms around Clarke’s shoulders. Lexa’s face rests in the crook of Clarke’s neck, tickling Clarke as she sighs against the skin, goosebumps racing across Clarke’s skin.

“Hi.” Clarke mumbles into the wild tangles of Lexa’s hair.

“Hi,” Lexa breathes back and Clarke swears that she can feel her world align onto a whole new axis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always thanks for reading this and leaving feedback/comments it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside  
> come blow up my inbox faqubetta.tumblr.com


	5. Can't Stop The Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drinking. Drama. Douchebags.  
> Clarke and the gang get drunk, there's beer pong, kissing and eventually some drama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always major major thanks to @letalisnex for being amazing!  
> Sorry that it's taken a while to update - real life caught up with me.  
> Also sorry about the chapter title - I've really been jamming to that song lately. If you haven't heard it, I suggest checking it out!   
> Any feedback you guys give always makes my heart warm <3

* * *

 

They pull apart slowly, hands brushing as they disentangle themselves, fire flooding through her body. The sound of someone clearing their throat snaps Clarke from the spell Lexa’s green eyes had cast on her.  The woman standing a few feet away from them grins at them with a knowing smile, causing Clarke’s cheeks to heat rapidly.

“You must be Clarke. I’m Lexa’s sister, Anya. Thanks for inviting us,” she says in fluent English, momentarily throwing Clarke off guard.  Anya towers over Clarke with the same wild hair as Lexa but a shade lighter, her eyes are a pleasant brown instead of forest green; she’s beautiful. Damn their family genes.

“Hi,” Clarke says holding her hand out to Anya. Anya grips her forearm and gives it a gentle squeeze forgoing Clarke’s outstretched hand.

“Really glad you guys could make it! It’s Octavia’s 21st birthday and she thought the more the merrier! Did you have any trouble finding the house? How was the drive?” Raven not so subtly coughs in an attempt to cut of the blonde’s rambling. Lexa’s lips twitch at the corners and Clarke wonders if the girl ever smiles.

“Oh right, Anya, Lexa, this is Raven, my roommate.” Raven smiles warmly at them but doesn’t offer her hand, trying not to laugh at Clarke’s obvious nervousness.

“Come join the party!” Raven says enthusiastically, saving Clarke from any further embarrassment.  

“You Canadians do drink right?” Raven asks her voice playfully challenging.

“I will put you under the table,” Anya states boldly.

“Bring it on,” Raven says as she leads them to the kitchen.

“What do you guys want to drink? We’ve got hard liquor or if you think you can’t keep up, beer.” Raven smirks at Anya as she says this, daring Anya to play her game.

“Shots.” Anya replies casually, her eyes sparkling mischievously. Lexa smirks conspiratorially at Anya, inclining her head slightly to whisper into Clarke’s ear.

“She is very good.” Clarke pulls back slightly to smile at Lexa before leaning forward to whisper in her ear “Raven is very good too” referring to the mechanic’s drinking ability, the girl’s liver was like a stone. Lexa’s eyes shine with mirth as she smiles softly at Clarke, sticking her hand out for the girl to shake. Clarke is speechless as she stares into the shiny green orbs; sticking her hand out she grasps Lexa’s hand begging herself not to blush at the non-sexual but still thrilling contact. Clarke learnt very quickly never to bet against Raven’s ability to drink so she was more than confident that she was going to win the unspoken bet. What she was winning however, she didn’t know.   

“Commander,” Anya calls, holding out a shot that Lexa takes reluctantly. Clarke reminds herself to ask Lexa about the nickname later as she accepts her own shot from Raven.

“There are good ships and there are wood ships, the ships that sail the sea. But the best ships are friendships and may they always be!” Raven recites.  Clarke watches as Anya winks at Raven before tipping the bottom shelf tequila back swallowing it with no indication that it actually tastes like poison. As Clarke tips her own shot back, her eyes lock onto Lexa’s lips as her tongue flicks out between them collecting whatever remains. Clarke feels something burn deep and hot low in her stomach and she knew then that it was going to be a long night.

* * *

 

Too many shots later, Clarke and Lexa are dominating the beer pong table, one cup stands between them and victory, their fourth win if they’re lucky. Clarke watches as Lexa takes aim, winking at Clarke who blushes furiously (she seems to blush an exponential amount when Lexa is around) before the ball flies from Lexa’s fingers. She watches as the ball arcs through the air, sailing right into the final cup with a satisfying splash. A triumphant yell escapes Clarke’s lips as she throws her hands up in victory as Anya and Raven groan at the opposite end.  

“Alright shorty, if you make this cup I won’t make you drink any more,” Anya states looking at Raven with fierce determination, but even from her position Clarke can tell that Anya is having trouble focusing. Over the last few hours Anya and Raven have been pounding back shots (14 to be exact), Clarke was surprised that they were still standing let alone somewhat functioning.

“Furst off Iaint short. Sexandwe you can quit whenever,” Raven retorts back, words slurring together.

Clarke starts to laugh at Raven’s slurred words, but it catches in her throat as Lexa slings her arm across her shoulders. Lexa leans against Clarke like she is too drunk to stand on her own, but when Clarke meets Lexa’s eyes they are clear and focused. With a whoosh, the air is sucked from Clarke’s lungs as she drinks in Lexa, completely awed by her beauty. She blinks her eyes rapidly in case Lexa is a drunken mirage or a dream but Lexa doesn’t fade and Clarke never wakes up. She even subtly pinches herself for good measure. Nope. Real. Lexa is a real, breathing person right there in front of Clarke and she wants nothing more than to kiss her until there isn’t any air left in her lungs. Lexa must sense what is about to happen because she leans in towards Clarke slowly, her breath ghosting over Clarke’s lips. WHAM! Before Clarke can close the gap and connect their lips, a ping pong ball bounces off her temple. Lexa pulls back so quickly that Clarke is positive the girl must suffer from whiplash, she glares across the table menacingly.

“Clarkey,” Raven starts a lopsided drunk grin splitting her face, “no kissy kissy allowed.” Anya breaks out in a fit of laughter as she exchanges a high five with Raven. Glancing down, Clarke sees the ball that ricocheted off her head floating in one of their remaining two cups. Clarke looks at Lexa with wide astonished eyes, mouth opening and closing like a fish and Lexa _giggles._ Clarke swears that she can feel her heart stop (she’s been doing that alot lately as well - thanks Lexa for giving her a near fatal condition) at the beautiful sound. Lexa tilts her head and places a soft kiss on the side of Clarke’s forehead, a small smile replacing the giggles. Stars explode behind Clarke’s eyelids and she knows that it’s not the amount of alcohol in her system that has her weak in the knees. Fighting the urge to smile, Clarke pouts as she fishes the ball from the cup before chugging the room temperature beer. Lexa and Clarke watch as Anya takes aim before letting the ball go, groaning as the ball sinks into the cup. Sudden death. Clarke pulls the ball from the cup and holds it out to Lexa.

“If you make this cup, I’ll kiss you,” Clarke states to Lexa, watching her pupils expand. Clarke really wants to win but she also wants to kiss Lexa. Two birds, one stone. Lexa deftly plucks the ball from Clarke’s fingers and without a moment's hesitation, she launches the ball across the table, barely looking where she is throwing. Clarke can feel Lexa’s eyes on her as she watches the ball fly across the table and plop into the last cup, jaw dropping involuntarily. Lexa is wearing the biggest smirk that Clarke has ever seen, her eyes challenging Clarke to keep her word. Clarke moves with purpose as she wraps her hands around Lexa’s neck. She can’t look anywhere but Lexa’s lips, still wearing that damn smirk. Lexa’s arms snake around Clarke’s waist pulling their bodies together just as Clarke presses her lips against Lexa’s. Her knees wobble and her mind goes completely blank except for one single thought: _This is the best kiss of my life_. Their lips move effortlessly against each other, tongues swiping along lips begging for entry. One of Clarke’s hands winds itself around the baby hairs at the bottom of Lexa’s scalp tugging gently, earning a near audible gasp from Lexa and allowing Clarke’s tongue to slip past her lips. Clarke’s head was spinning and her knees were weak from kissing Lexa so fiercely and lack of oxygen. Why hadn’t they been doing this all night? It was so amazing, Clarke wanted to kick herself for wasting time not kissing Lexa’s lips. Clarke faintly hears someone wolf whistle before feeling something bounce off the side of her head...again. Lexa jerks back suddenly and Clarke is sure the girl has whiplash now.

“Getta rum you two!” Raven slurs with a smile on her face. Lexa all but bears her teeth and growls lowly at Raven.  Clarke gently grabs Lexa’s chin turning her face to meet her gaze, the anger visible in her eyes. Leaning on the balls of her feet, Clarke softly presses her lips against Lexa’s, fighting the urge to deepen the kiss; when she pulls back Lexa’s eyes are a peaceful green. “Come on,” Clarke murmurs grabbing Lexa’s hand, dragging her away from the table. She grabs them each another beer before heading out onto the porch. Despite the fact that it’s the middle of March, it’s not terribly cold out, their breath barely clouding in the air. Clarke sits down on the bench watching Lexa warily as the girl leans against the railing.   

“Sorry,” Lexa mumbles, looking Clarke in the eyes. Clarke can’t help but smile as Lexa looks like a kicked puppy, all sad and apologetic. But Clarke doesn’t believe that Lexa has anything to be sorry for. Instead, she found it alluring (not that she was about to admit that to anyone).

“It was cute.” (Ok Clarke just ignore the fact that you didn’t want anyone to know!) The corner of Lexa’s mouth turns up slightly, her eyes shining in the moonlight; she’s absolutely beautiful. She was so beautiful that it took all of Clarke’s strength not to take a picture but that didn’t stop the words from slipping through her lips. (You know what they say, alcohol makes loose lips but so does being around a pretty girl).

“You’re beautiful.” Lexa just stares at her, green eyes flicking between Clarke’s eyes and her pink lips.

“You drunk.”  

“Yes but -”

“Clarke!” Monty pants suddenly appearing in the doorway.

“What?” She huffs, annoyed that their moment was once again disturbed.

“Just wanted to give you a heads up - Finn’s here and he’s looking for you.”

Clarke’s belly swoops with discomfort.  

“Thanks,” Clarke replies, but the word sounds hollow. Monty nods his head and disappears back into the party, the sound of laughter and house music drifting through the night air. Clarke stares into her beer bottle as memories of Finn flood her cerebral cortex. The memories start off sweet, full of passion but then they turn dark and ugly, leaving a foul taste in her mouth. It had been so easy to fall in love with him - even harder to stop loving him. After Finn, Clarke had sworn to herself that she would handle her heart better because it didn’t deserve to go through that again. But now she was sitting on a porch with possibly the most beautiful person on the pla- _Lexa._ Her train of thought is derailed as she remembers that Lexa is there, across from her. Clarke looks up slowly meeting her gaze, one of Lexa’s perfect eyebrows is raised in a silent question. (Clarke can’t help the slight bit of jealousy she feels over Lexa’s perfect eyebrows; one time Clarke drunkenly tweezed her own eyebrows... It was a bad time, the next morning she woke up with barely any eyebrow left.  A moment her friends never let her forget. And one that is permanently saved on her driver's license.)      

Her tongue is dry and thick in her mouth, she takes a long sip from her beer hoping to rid the foul taste of Finn.

“He’s just someone I used to know,” Clarke says nonchalantly in response to Lexa’s unasked question. Lexa smiles sadly, like she knows exactly how Clarke feels but then she starts singing and Clarke nearly dies.

“ _Now you’re just somebody that I used to know.”_

Clarke doesn’t know how to describe her voice, angelic isn’t the right word because if angels sounded like Lexa then people would have committed more sins (of the sexual kind because holy cannoli did this girl have a voice and it was doing things to Clarke. Very unholy things).

“Wow,” is all she can say and Lexa blushes furiously, more than Clarke has seen yet.

“That was beautiful,” Clarke says, her voice full of reverence. Lexa blushes even harder as she stares down at the ground, clearly embarrassed. Clarke moves until she is standing right in front of Lexa who still isn’t making eye contact and grabs her chin, turning Lexa’s head until their eyes meet. In one swift movement, Clarke crashes their lips together, erasing any lingering memories of Finn as her world explodes into just Lexa. Only Lexa. Clarke isn’t sure on how long they stay like that, hands wrapped around each other, lips connected, tongues tasting every each of the other’s mouth but when they finally do pull away they’re both breathless and there is a dull throbbing between Clarke’s legs.

When they finally make their way inside again the party has died down a bit, Anya and Raven clearly didn’t get that memo. They’re still at the beer pong table playing against each other while people cheer them on. Lexa shakes her head at them before she guides Clarke over to the vacant couch. They fall into an easy conversation that is only interrupted when they have to use Google Translate, Clarke is amazed at how easy it is to talk to Lexa. Sure it was easy to talk when there was a screen between them but it’s even easier when she’s able to look into those green eyes.

“Clarke.”

Finn is standing there with a red solo cup in his hand looking extremely uncomfortable.

“Finn, hey.” Lexa starts to shift away from her so that their bodies aren’t touching but Clarke puts a hand on her thigh stopping her, something that doesn’t go unnoticed by Finn. He masks his displeasure by taking a sip of his beer but Clarke knows him, she can read his body even still. Something she wished she could unlearn.  

“Can I talk to her for a second?” he asks Lexa, eyes boring into her. Lexa stares right back at him, her posture has gone rigid and her eyes are emotionless.

“Uhm…please?”

“I’m busy Finn,” Clarke answers.

“Please Clarke? It’s important.”

Clarke doesn’t want to leave Lexa but Finn is looking at her with those big sad eyes and his floppy hair, looking every bit the wounded puppy he was when she fell in love with him. No where near the monster he was when she fell out of love with him. There’s a gentle squeeze on her thigh; she looks at Lexa who finally takes her eyes off Finn. Lexa tilts her head imperceptibly in Finn’s direction letting Clarke know that it’s ok.

“Two minutes Finn,” Clarke says as she gets up. Finn’s face lights up with a grin only for it to shatter as he watches Clarke bend over and press a soft kiss to Lexa’s lips.

“I’ll be right back,” Clarke whispers to the girl who just nods her head, eyes staring Finn down.

As she walks away Clarke feels someone eyes following her, but when she glances over her shoulder Lexa isn’t looking at her. Lexa is sitting on the couch, staring straight ahead with a disinterested expression and everything within Clarke clenches painfully at the sight. With a regretful sigh she follows Finn the man who once held her heart lead her away from the one person who will one day hold it. (SPOILER CLARKE!)


	6. What a Pretentious Douche Bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia's 21st birthday takes an interesting turn - and of course there is pizza involved and a drunk Raven. And there might be mention of a date happening?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK so trigger warning for violence/ domestic violence - it's not extremely graphic but it's there so just beware. It begins in the italicized section (the second line break) and the paragraph following it. It's not crucial to the story but it will probably be brought up again in future chapters. There will be a summary at the end of the chapter if you skip that section so you're in the loop.
> 
> And as always. Thank you to my fantastic beta @letalisnex who puts up with me writing when I'm drunk and constantly talking to myself and making ALL the grammatical errors. Really. She's great.

Lexa considered herself a person of intelligence; her higher than normal IQ verified that. And the fact that she was learning English (Clarke’s reaction had been worth all the practicing) at an above average pace solidified the fact that Lexa was close to a genius. However, she could not figure out what the hell had just happened. 

They went from kissing to talking and laughing and then to Clarke leaving? What. Clarke walked away with some boy….though Lexa knows he isn’t just  _ some boy _ . The way Clarke tensed when his name was mentioned and then there was the discomfort that seemed to radiate off Clarke when he was in her presence proved that he was anything but  _ some boy. _ Lexa had tried to shift away from Clarke when she noticed the uncomfortable tension between Clarke and the boy. But Clarke had gently yet firmly placed her hand on Lexa’s thigh effectively stopping her from moving away. An action that still had Lexa’s leg tingling.

“Please Clarke? It’s important.” She watched Clarke’s face as the boy - Finn, what a pretentious douchebag name - asked to talk to her alone. Lexa could see the minute changes in Clarke’s expression - indecision, hurt, anger and apprehension all mixed together. 

Lexa had been shocked when Clarke pressed their lips together in front of  _ him.  _ The fireworks that exploded behind Lexa’s eyes were the only indication that the kiss had in fact, actually happened.  She had tried to watch Clarke leave with Finn but the sting of watching yet another person walk away from her was too much. And she knew she was being foolish - Clarke wasn’t leaving, she was just doing exactly what Lexa had encouraged her to do - but Lexa had already seen and felt the pain of one too many people leaving her behind. Never looking back and never to return. It had left a scar deep within her - not that she ever truly acknowledged it.

* * *

 

Elle est où, ta blonde? (“Where’s your girlfriend?”)  Anya asks as she plops down next to Lexa, her breath reeking of alcohol. 

“Elle n’est pas ma blonde” (“She isn’t my girlfriend”), Lexa answers with an eyeroll, “et elle est partie parler avec un gars” (“she went to talk to a boy.”)

“Montreal. Wheresmyroommate?” Raven slurs as she collapses into Anya’s lap. Lexa raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at the nickname. 

“Montreal?” Lexa asks in English, confused about the reference.  

“Clarkey sometimes calls you Montreal. Much butter than hot barftender.”  Lexa can feel the tips of her ears turning red at Raven’s words who just smiles drunkenly at Anya. Anya’s body shakes with a loud full belly laugh, the movement nearly throwing Raven from her lap but Anya casually wraps an arm around the girl's waist firmly holding her in place.  

“Dats a pretty noise,” Raven states staring at Anya. Lexa almost pokes fun at Anya’s reaction - a deep blush that spreads upward from her neck and turns her cheeks a deep red. 

“Lexa says Clarke left to talk to a boy,” Anya supplies her voice ringing with…..nervousness? Lexa is shocked, Anya is usually much better about hiding her emotions. Perhaps it was the alcohol that was making her lose control. A clarity settles over Raven at Anya’s words, the younger girl seemingly sober now. 

“Finn?” She growls out, the anger and disgust clear in her voice as she looks at Lexa. Lexa nods her head in response, stomach clenching as a pang of fear surges through her. Maybe letting Clarke go wasn’t such a smart idea. 

“Fucking shit.” 

“What do you want Finn?” Clarke asks the second she steps out onto the porch. Simultaneously Finn asks, “What the hell was that?” Clarke shivers as the chilly air nips at her exposed skin, causing goosebumps to appear and form, Finn’s fiery anger raising the hairs on her skin.

“What do you mean?” Clarke asks, trying to hide the annoyance in her voice.

“That thing with that girl.” 

“Lexa.”

“What?”

“Lexa, my date tonight,” Clarke states boldly arms crossing over her chest defensively. Was it even a date?  _ I mean we did kiss, Clarke thinks sarcastically. But did that mean it was a date? I mean Lexa could just totally think it was a booty call! Not that I’d complain about that but because hello Lexa is gorgeous. But her laugh! Holy canoli that laugh - is it possible to draw a sound because I swear I’m going to spend a lifetime trying to.  _

Finn opens his mouth but quickly shuts it again, Clarke can see the gears shifting behind his eyes before he lets out a sigh and tries again.

“Look Clarke, I fucked up. I know that now. But I still love you and I want to fix things between us.” If this had been months ago, Clarke’s heart  **_might_ ** have soared. But now? Now her heart is cold and detached for the boy she once loved. 

“Finn, there is no us. You made sure of that.”

“Come on Princess, I know you don’t mean that,” he responds softly, stepping closer to Clarke. As he moves closer the scent of alcohol wafts off him, infiltrating Clarke’s nose and plunging her into the last memory she has of Finn being drunk. A memory that was closer to a nightmare.

* * *

 

_ In the months since her dad died, Clarke’s relationship with Finn had changed. At first, Finn smothered Clarke, constantly trying to make her feel better. But Clarke didn’t know how to feel better when her father was cold, dead and gone. Finn thought the answer was contact - keeping her mind in the present instead of lost in guilt and painful memories - constantly trying to make Clarke feel loved. But his efforts felt forced and customary. Too many hugs, too many touches all at the wrong time. She needed that when she woke up in the middle of the night in a panic, her body covered in a cold sweat and the whispers of Jake’s voice floating through her head not when she was attempting to study. When he realized that Clarke wasn’t responding to his efforts, Finn bailed. Giving Clarke all the space she needed or didn’t want (to be honest she was bit of a mess then). When they did see each other, it just wasn’t the same. He smelled of stale booze and something that Clarke couldn’t quite place her finger on - and she was drowning in emotion and guilt. Their relationship felt platonic, despite having dated for close to two years. She just didn’t or couldn’t understand why he didn’t get her the same way that Raven and Octavia did. Raven was there with her constant talk about school and the real world, forcing Clarke into conversations, not in an uncomfortable small talk way but in a way that required Clarke to actually communicate with more than one word syllables.  And Octavia was always coming by to make sure Clarke was getting enough to eat (because Raven even forgot to feed herself most of the time) and human contact when it seemed that Clarke was getting ready to drown in darkness. Monty and Jasper were always sending her text messages that were meant to cheer her up and get her to laugh or smile. It worked some days. And Bellamy….Bellamy was Clarke’s saving grace. Unlike the others, he knew that Clarke just needed quiet comfort, which he willingly provided. They would sit for hours at a time not a word spoken between them but there was understanding in the silence. And day by day, Clarke was slowly healing. She was slowly becoming her old self. But Clarke knew she would never truly be her old self again. She had lost her father. A part of who she was, part of him would always reside within her, but never again would the whole version be there for her. The person that she desperately wanted to hug or show her latest piece of artwork to, or even brag about the “A” she managed to pull off in Linear Algebra class (she still doesn’t know why she took that class). But she was becoming a newer version of her old self - the old Clarke who was learning to live without a father and a mostly absent mother and very absent boyfriend.     _

_ Clarke hadn’t seen nor heard from Finn for nearly a week (not that she was really trying either) before she decided to take the initiative and text him; asking him if he wanted to come over and watch a movie and eat unhealthy amounts of pizza. The second Finn had walked through the door, Clarke could smell the stench of alcohol clinging to the air around him. His body instantly pressing into Clarke forcing her body backwards until she was trapped between Finn and the wall. _

_ “Clarke,” he breathed against the shell of her ear before kissing down her neck and before feverishly pressing his lips against Clarke’s.  _

_ “Finn”, she mumbled against his lips, hands pushing gently at his chest. He pulled back to look at her, eyes hazy with lust and alcohol but whatever he saw on Clarke’s face was enough to make the haze clear away and his lips pull into a tight line.  _

_ “Seriously, Clarke?” he demanded pushing himself off the wall and away from her. “I thought…..I thought that’s why you invited me over.” Clarke pretended that she couldn’t hear the disappointment in his voice. She just wanted to eat pizza in her sweatpants and to feel like she was actually dating Finn for a change.   _

_ “I asked if you wanted to watch a movie and eat pizza…” she mumbled softly.  _

_ “I thought that was some kind of version of Netflix and Chill,” his voice raising in pitch, the frustration evident as he raked his hand through his shaggy locks. “I mean, do you even know when we last had sex Clarke?” She looked at him with sad eyes thinking only of her father. “I didn’t say anything at first because your dad had just died but it’s been  _ **_months._ ** _ He isn’t coming back Clarke and I’m here. I’m right here.” His voice rising in tone until he was close to yelling, his words echoing off the walls in the silence that followed.   _

_ In the last few weeks Clarke had finally begun to feel things again. She wasn’t feeling true emotions completely yet but she wasn’t feeling just sadness, guilt and despair.  But for the first time in months Clarke was feeling true full blown emotion - anger.  _

_ “Fuck. You,” she spit out each word with venom in her voice, “I’m sorry that my dad dying and my being depressed prevented you from getting your rocks off Finn. But I needed you and you weren’t there!” Clarke could feel the tears pricking the back of her eyes, voice straining as she yelled. God it felt good to finally let everything out and let her emotions go. Finn stared at her with wide eyes, shocked to see so much anger from her after seeing nothing but sadness for the past few months. His surprise quickly turned to anger as her words washed over him fueling the fire that had always been burning inside him.  _

_ “I wasn’t fucking there? I was! I was there and you didn’t want a fucking thing to do with me! God, do you know how hard it was to watch you break? It was so hard to watch you disappear before my eyes and not know what to do. I tried to be there, I fucking did but it got hard and I just couldn’t do it anymore.”  _

_ “How hard…..Oh wow, I’m really sorry that my dad dying was HARD on YOU. I can’t imagine the pain and grief you felt. You gave up, you quit on me. I needed you…” The last words fell from her lips between sobs, the fight having left her, tears freely pouring down her cheeks. Finn’s shoulders sag with guilt, the rage in him boiling into a soft simmer. He had never intended to make Clarke cry. He loved her the best way he knew how and making her cry was a shitty thing to do after everything. He took a tentative step towards Clarke and when she didn’t stop him, he closed the gap between them, pulling her gently against his chest and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. It took Clarke a few moments before she was able to relax into his touch and return the gesture. She nuzzled into his chest, arms sliding behind his neck. Clarke’s hand itching from rubbing against a rough material that she realized must’ve been his shirt tag.  _

_ “Finn, your shirt is inside out,” she breathes with a sniffle, inhaling the scent of his shirt. Finn stiffens at Clarke’s words as she sniffs his shirt again, trying to place the scent. It didn’t smell like the his soap - a clean irish spring scent that had Clarke stealing his sweaters because she loved the smell so much -  that usually clung to Finn under all his recent alcohol “deodorant”. She stumbles back from him.  _

_ “Why is your shirt inside out and why does it smell like perfume?” Clarke asks, her voice low and quiet. The feeling of anger slowly lighting within her again.  Finn's eyes flit around the room, looking anywhere but at her.  _

_ “Finn?” Clarke asks again, voice more demanding.  _

_ “I must’ve not been paying attention when I put it on. It’s uh from the hamper.” He answers eyes focused on the floor. The words lack conviction and it’s obvious to both of them that he’s lying.  _

_ “Tell me the truth Finn,” Clarke all but snarls at him.  _

_ “Princess…” _

_ “I think the girl asked you a question,” Raven says from the hallway. _

_ Finn glances at Raven and then at Clarke who is still staring at him. When his eyes meet blue, he clenches his eyes shuts and nods his head stiffly. He didn’t need to say anything for Clarke to put the pieces together.  _

_ “You bastard.”  _

_ “You were so far away Clarke, I couldn’t reach you,” his voice is pleading, “You weren’t there and I -” _

_ “Needed someone to suck your dick that much?” Clarke snarls. The air in the apartment is thick, suffocating Clarke with her anger and hurt. She can’t believe that Finn would do this to her.  _

_ “You can’t blame me Clarke,” Finn states voice seeped in anger. The flame inside him raging once again. He switches to an offensive stance moving closer to Clarke.  _

_ “Oh so it’s my fault that you cheated on me?”  _

_ “Yeah. It fucking is.” His hands wrapped around Clarke’s biceps squeezing slightly, “You ignored me! Pushed me away until it felt like we weren't even together anymore.”  _

_ “That's not a reason to cheat on me!” _

_ “Well at least someone was willing to pay attention to me.” He yelled in Clarke’s face, fingers digging into Clarke’s porcelain skin, her face contorting in pain. She was sure that in the morning, she would have faint purple bruises from his fingers.  _

_ “Finn let fucking go,” Raven roars as she storms towards them. Clarke can see something shift and snap within Finn’s eyes right before he lets go, stumbling backwards until his back hits the wall.  _

_ “Shit. Clarke, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean -”  _

_ “I don’t know if it’s obvious or not, but we’re done.” Clarke states, chin jutting as she attempts to look unshaken as her world tilts for the second time in months.  _ (A move surprisingly like the one that will be used against her when she and Lexa fight)

_ “Clarke…I’m sorry, I love you Clarke.” His voice riddled with guilt and shame.      _

_ “I would leave if I were you Finn,” Raven states calmly as she holds the door open for him. With one last glance, Finn leaves muttering an “I’m sorry” as the door closes with finality behind him. _

* * *

 

Clarke is jolted back into reality as she feels Finn’s breath hot and unwelcoming against her ear.  

“I miss you Clarke, I still love you,” he whispers placing gentle kisses along her neck. No. No. No. Clarke pushes against his chest but it’s useless. Finn is 180 pounds when he’s sober but when he’s drunk and horny he might as well be 300.  

“Finn, get off me.” 

“Come on Princess, I know you’ve missed me too. You’ve texted me.” Okay yes, Clarke may have texted him in a drunken moment of weakness once or twice but that was MONTHS ago. She had just been looking for some resemblance of her old life from when she was happy and in love, back when her father wasn’t slowly being decomposed by creepy crawlies.  But she was no longer in that place, she was finally past searching for a way to get her life old life back. 

“Finn. No,” she groans as he attempts to capture her lips. Clarke twists her neck away from him but he catches her jaw with one hand and roughly holds her chin in place as he presses a kiss to the corner of her mouth. Clarke squeezes her eyes shut, unable to imagine that this is actually happening; that this is who Finn has become. 

“Get the fuck away from her,” a voice off to the side yells. Raven. Finn is still firmly grasping Clarke’s chin so she is unable to turn her head to meet Raven’s eyes but Clarke knows that they’re blazing in fury. Clarke’s heart pounds erratically - almost painfully against her chest - a silent sigh of relief passing her lips. Normally, Raven had horrible timing, walking in on Clarke while she was ‘busy’ with some guy or girl or even just herself. (Raven liked to say it was perfect timing but she was never the one halfway to an orgasm when it happened.) But tonight, Clarke was over the moon about her impeccable timing.  

Finn leans back from Clarke, releasing her chin at the same time. Their bodies are still so close though, Clarke can still smell him and feel the heat rising off his body; her stomach rolls at his proximity. Finn and Raven glare at each other, both snarling at the other as a fire burns in their eyes. They look ready to tear the other apart all while Clarke helplessly slumps against the wall.

_ “ _ Raven, this is between Clarke and I,” Finn states. Maybe it’s Clarke’s imagination but she swears she can see actual fires burning in the blackness of his eyes. She doesn’t recognize the boyish adventurer that has been replaced by this….this monster. Clarke had always been under the impression that when one went through a breakup it was their chance to grow and become a better person; what if breaking up with Finn made him a worse person? Did that say something about Clarke’s character or his? 

“No,” Lexa says surprising Clarke, whose eyes immediately lock onto the tall Canadian. She had been so focused on watching Finn and Raven that she hadn’t noticed Lexa come out onto the porch. She’s standing next to Raven with her fists clenched and her green eyes furiously locked onto Finn. 

“Are you O.K. Clarke?” Lexa asks. Clarke nods her head ‘yes’ but Lexa’s eyes are still trained on Finn, her response going unnoticed. 

“Clarke?” Lexa asks again her voice soft with concern eyes shifting from Finn to Clarke. As Lexa’s eyes bore into her, Clarke watches with amazement as Lexa’s eyes change color -  shifting from a dark hunter green to a dazzling celadon green (what? Clarke’s an artist and takes notice of different colors it isn’t - regardless of what Octavia says). It was mesmerizing and indescribably beautiful. Clarke’s fingers itched to draw it, knowing full well that she would never be able to capture it perfectly on paper.      

“She’s fine. What the hell do you want?” The moment the words leave Finn’s mouth, Lexa’s steely gaze is focused back on him. Clarke’s just happy that gaze isn’t directed towards her because if looks could kill….Clarke was surprised that Finn wasn’t wilting beneath it.  

“Leave.” Lexa states calmly. She looked like a commander in charge, hands clasped behind her back, posture perfect. Her body demanded attention and respect. If Clarke wasn’t totally turned off by what just occurred with Finn, she would find this side of Lexa entirely too appealing.    
“These aren’t your friends, you can’t tell me what to do,” Finn replies airily. 

“Actually dude, I think it would be best if you left.” Bellamy. Clarke really needs to stop staring at Lexa and pay attention to the growing crowd of people on the porch. 

“We were just talking! You’re gonna kick me out cause of this bitch? She’s not even our friend!” Finn states defensively just as Octavia comes rushing out the front door with a large smile on her face.

“Pizza is her-.” Octavia’s smile quickly disappears to be replaced with a frown as she realizes that she has just walked into the middle of something. 

“What’s going on?” she asks, confused. 

“Finn was just leaving,” Bellamy states. 

“Uhm I’ve got an order for Lincoln?” a guy asks from the front lawn, a towering stack of pizza’s wobbling precariously blocking his face. 

“Oh that’s for me!” Octavia cheers as she wobbles down the stairs and takes the boxes effortlessly from the delivery guy. He watches completely stunned as Octavia carries the tower of pizza up the the stairs with graceful ease, not a single box wobbling.  

“Whatever, this party is shit anyway,” Finn mumbles as he descends the front porch steps nearly bumping into the delivery man.

“Alright all you bitches time to leave! I need some alone time with this pizza,” Octavia yells into the house, shoo-ing party goers out the front door. Bellamy and Raven share a glance, the eyes dancing with mischief before rushing for the front door at the same time, pushing and shoving each other in an attempt to get through the door first. A shiver rips through Clarke as she realizes how close tonight had been to a living nightmare. Lexa is staring at her, eyes full of concern and affection.

“Cold?” she asks softly. Not trusting her voice, Clarke shakes her head ‘no’ as she stares at Lexa. A hurricane of emotions swirl through Lexa - hurt, anger, relief, and uncertainty as she steps closer to Clarke. She raises her hands to touch Clarke but then decides against it at the last moment, arms hanging in the air awkwardly. 

“Clarke,” she whispers softly “are you ok?” Clarke in response surges into Lexa’s body, wrapping her arms around her waist and squeezing tightly. Lexa’s arms wrap around her after a few moments, engulfing Clarke in a warm embrace. Clarke can feel the fear and cold drain from her body as the warmth and safety of Lexa floods into her. Lexa pulls away before the hug can last too long and stares into Clarke’s eyes searching, always searching. Clarke smiles shyly at the concern, lacing their fingers together.

“Let’s get some pizza before it’s all gone,” Clarke murmurs, squeezing Lexa’s hand softly. Lexa nods her head in response and silently follows Clarke into the house. 

 

They spend the rest of the night lounging around in the living room casually sipping beers and stuffing their faces with pizza. Jasper and Monty make a game out of throwing pepperoni at each other, the rules and the scoring lost on Clarke but it’s entertaining to watch. But Lexa seems to have figured it out as she occasionally cheer’s when one of the boys scores. Octavia and Lincoln have long since retreated to Octavia’s room, the sound of music softly thumping out from behind her door. Everyone knows what they’re doing but no one points it out out of respect for the birthday girl. Eventually, the only people still awake are Lexa and Clarke. Clarke lays her head in Lexa’s lap as she tries to breathe through her food baby.

“Too. Much. Pizza.” Lexa laughs quietly, careful not to disturb Jasper and Monty who passed out on the floor in the corner. 

“I was impressed, seven pieces is a lot,” Lexa replies. It’s quite for a few minutes and Lexa thinks that Clarke might have fallen asleep. 

“When are you leaving tomorrow?” Clarke murmurs quietly. The thought hadn’t even crossed Lexa’s mind yet. Was she going to leave tomorrow, Saturday, or stay until Sunday? She’s not ready to say goodbye to Clarke, at least not yet. Panic starts to seep in at the thought of having to just say goodbye when they had just said hello. In her panicked state, she said the first thing that came to mind.

“Will you go to dinner with me?” Lexa asks suddenly. After a moment, she recognizes the words that have just flown from her lips; she can feel her heart beating loudly penetrating the darkness, her wish was that Clarke couldn’t hear it.  

“I’d love to,” Clarke sleepily murmurs against Lexa’s leg. Lexa grins like a fool as she feels Clarke’s breathing slowly evening out. She couldn’t stop smiling nor could she stop the giddy sensation tingling through her body. Tomorrow she was going on a date with Clarke! Gently she squeezes Clarke’s hip before threading their hands together, resting their conjoined hands on Clarke’s stomach. Her eyes slowly drifted shut, a smile etched on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK so I want you guys to have a bit of input on the story and right now I've written two different story lines - and I want you to choose which one you want to read! (I might post both eventually) but basically:
> 
> Do you want Costia to be alive or dead? 
> 
> Let me know in the comments or message me on tumblr or whatever!   
> TW summary: Basically Finn is a cheating douche bag who wants Clarke back and loses his temper. Lexa comes to the rescue and Finn is still a douche bag!


	7. Sin-O-Butta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I suck as an author and apologize profusely. Please come yell at me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO! I am ALLLLIVVVEEEE!!!! I'm sorry that it's taken me so so so so long to get back but life got in the way. Don't you hate when that happens?  
> Please don't hate me butttt this isn't a new chapter - I know I'm horrible. This is actually a rewrite of Chapter 7 (don't worry chapter 8 is coming in like hours!)  
> I'm actually happy with this rewrite so let me know what you think!  
> The old chapter 7 will be deleted when chapter 8 goes up!

Dawn, a time reserved for lovers;  full of peaceful silences, feather light touches, giggles and the horrid stench of morning breath. Clarke however, was not lucky enough to have one of those mornings. There’s a gap in the blinds allowing the early morning sun rays to filter in and cover Clarke’s body in warmth as she drifts blissfully between consciousness and sleep.

“WAKE THE FUCK UP MOTHER FUCKERS!” Raven yells, a loud bang following her. Clarke groans as the sound reverberates around her skull, hangover all the more apparent. “Raven get out of my room!” Clarke grumbles with as much hatred as she can manage given her current state. The banging stops as Raven laughs loudly, Clarke can actually hear her gasping for breath.

“Princess we aren’t at home. You’re also drooling on the bartender’s leg.” Clarke’s eyes shoot open as she takes in her surroundings; she’s in Octavia’s living room. Her alcohol soaked brain slowly putting the pieces from last night together. That party last night was awfully crazy (bonus points for getting the reference) Startled, Clarke launches herself off her “pillow” which in actuality is just Lexa’s leg and lands on the floor with a loud thump. Raven stands over her with a wooden spoon and a pot in her hand, looking entirely too smug, “Mornin’ sunshine!”

“Is the floor more comfortable than the couch, Clarke?” Lexa asks her voice thick with sleep and much too sinfully sexy for the morning. Clarke looks up at Lexa, her breath catching in her throat at the sight. The sun is shining through the window behind her, casting Lexa in a ethereal light. Her hair is piled on top of her head in a hazardous bun with little fly aways sticking out in various directions, her eyes are in the light, the ghost of a smirk pulls at her lips. Clarke’s fingers twitch absently, wishing for a pencil and a pad of paper.

“I fell,” Clarke says with a roll of her eyes. And as Lexa tilts her head back to let out a laugh, eyes closed and a smile on her face; Clarke can’t help but grab her phone off the coffee table and snap a picture. _It’s not creepy_ she says to herself, _we’ve made out! I’m an artist and I am just capturing art_.

“Fuck Raven and her stupid liver,” Octavia groans as she shuffles into the living room. “She drank more than all of us. How is she alive? How are you guys doing?” she asks as she plops down next to Lexa. Lexa shares a small smile with Clarke who can’t help but smile in return, heart fluttering rapidly.

“Where is Anya?” Lexa asks no one in particular.

“No idea,” Octavia replies before looking at Clarke who is still sprawled across the living room floor.  

“Did you sleep down there?”

“I fell,” Clarke repeats, hoisting herself up onto the couch next to Lexa.

“Breakfast you sluts!” A voice calls from the kitchen.

“At least there’s food,” Octavia mumbles as she drags herself off towards the kitchen.

“Good morning,” Lexa murmurs quietly, head turned towards Clarke who looks back at her with sunlight in her eyes and a smile on her lips.

“Mmpf I dunno what Anya did to these but mmm they’re freakin delicious.” Raven mumbles with a mouth full of food, crumbs falling from her lips. Whatever moment Clarke and Lexa had been sharing instantly shatters as Lexa cries out in French, leaping from the couch and rushing towards the kitchen. Clarke startles as the closet door behind slams open. Raven swallows audibly (Clarke doesn’t understand how she doesn’t choke) before opening her mouth again, “Wait Goggles you slept here? In the closet?” Clarke can hear the humor lurking just beneath Raven’s voice.

“The broom closet!” he replies cheerfully.

“It’s not a broom closet! It’s Harry’s cupboard!” Harper cries indignantly from the other room.

“Well aren’t you the most beautiful broom in a closet full of brooms,” Raven sing songs, giving Jasper’s hair a ruffle.

“It’s actually the Tardis! Bigger on the inside!” Monty proclaims. “Jas get in here before I eat your pancakes!”

“Don’t you dare!” Jasper bellows, rushing to the kitchen.

“Wow I didn’t realize everyone was still here,” Clarke says, eyeing Raven as she flops onto the couch.

“Just the Delinquents,” she replies before taking a big bite into her pancake “Mmpf, well except Lincoln, Bellamy and Miller. They were leaving for a run when Anya and I got up to make pancakes. C-”

“-Wait you woke up to help Anya make pancakes?” Clarke asks interrupting Raven. “You. Raven Reyes who hat-.”

“Man, these pancakes are orgasmic, I would go grab some if I were you Clarkey. Or have you had enough orgasms?” Raven asks with a smirk.

“Shut up!” Clarke says with a laugh fully falling for the change of topic, “we stayed up talking that's all!” She tries not to blush remembering the drunkenly tender way Lexa stole kisses from her - or the way that Clarke would cut her off mid-sentence with a slow languid kiss. The darkness wrapped around them like a warm blanket, coaxing them into a sense of ease. Hushed secrets whispered into the night, blushes blooming in the shadows.   

“Well ok then,” Raven says vowels elongated noticing the faraway look that has clouded Clarke’s eyes.  

“She asked me out on a date,” Clarke says, attention pulling back to Raven.

“Oh did she now?” she asks, wordlessly handing Clarke a pancake. “That girl has some serious heart eyes for you. It’s disgusting.”

Clarke has to actively resist moaning as she takes her first bite of the cinnamon sugary buttered fluffy goodness.

“These are amazing,” Clark moans.

“Even better with maple syrup.”

“Ugh, gimmie,” Clarke groans as she leans towards Raven’s plate.

Lexa enters the living room to the sight of Raven attempting to push Clarke away with one hand as she tries to climb over her in an attempt to grab the plate of pancakes.

“Touch my pancakes and die Clarke!” Raven shrieks as she struggles to hold her plate out of Clarke’s reaching hands. Raven looks at Lexa, eyes pleading “Lexa a little help please!” The sound of Lexa’s name falling from Raven’s lips is just the distraction the latina needs to push Clarke off of her….and onto the floor where she lands with an “oomf.”  Raven laughs wickedly as Clarke glares up at her from the floor, triumphant in her quest to protect her pancakes.

“I hate you,” Clarke says with as much hatred as she can muster, shuffling into a sitting position.

“Here,” Lexa says softly, handing Clarke one of the plates she is holding. Clarke breaks into an award winning grin as she looks up at Lexa and the offered plate of pancakes.

“You, you I like,” Clarke announces.

Lexa’s cheeks explode in a deep blush that travels down her neck as Clarke takes the plate from her.

“Heart eyes,” Raven says hidden beneath a cough that might fool most people but not Clarke, who pulls Lexa down till they’re sitting side by side, shoulders comfortably pressed together.

“So who won the bet last night?” Clarke asks as everyone settles around the room, plates piled high with what Anya apparently calls her “Sin-O-Butta Pancakes.”

“I did,” Anya says at the same time as Raven. They glare angrily at each other until Monty loudly interrupts with “I found them at 4am passed out on the kitchen table. Shot glasses in hand.”

“She passed out first!” Raven says launching to her feet.

“I did not you liar!” Anya argues back, getting to her feet as well.

“Wanna bet on it?” Raven challenges raising her voice to be heard over all the laughter.

“Sounds like you want a rematch squirt!” Anya sneers.  

“Oh you did not.”

Bellamy, Lincoln and Miller return from their run to find Anya and Raven inches apart yelling at each other, Monty and Jasper chanting “USA!”, Octavia egging Raven and Anya on, Harper waving bacon in the air like it’s a betting match and Clarke laughing with tears in her eyes. Lexa sits there quietly stuffing her face (she will later deny stealing food off of Raven’s plate - she totally did though).

Wedging his way between Anya and Raven, Bellamy spreads his arms out keeping the two girls apart.

“Ladies, ladies, there’s no need to fight over me. There's enough of me to go around!” He teases as he leans towards Raven.

“Touch me and die Bellamy Blake,” Raven states with a disgusted expression. “You smell.”

“Yes, I agree with Raven,” Anya states calmly.

“Finally, we can agree that I am right.” Anya just rolls her eyes in response.

Just as she’s reaching for another plate pancakes, Anya asks a question that makes Clarke’s stomach roll.

“What was the deal with that turd blossom last night?”

Suddenly the room descends into silence as everyone turns to look at Clarke.

“Anya!” Lexa hisses.

“It’s ok,” Clarke states, feeling Lexa’s green eyes burning into the side of her head. She’s not ashamed of it, maybe just ashamed of Finn and how broken he had become - the shell of a man that Clarke had once loved.     

“That _turd blossom_ is, was, my ex-boyfriend Finn.”

“Boyfriend huh? No offense but he seems like a total prick.” Anya says before popping a piece of bacon into her mouth.

“That’s because that prick is a **prick**.” Raven growls. Before Clarke can respond, Harper jumps in and changes the subject, shooting Clarke a small smile and wink.

“What’s everyone doing for the rest of the day?”

Relief floods through Clarke at the change of topic ( _God Harper is such a gem_ ), happy not to retell the events that happened last night...or before then. Only Raven, Harper and Octavia truly know everything that had happened between Finn and Clarke and she wanted to keep it that way. If Bellamy knew he would go into a rage and Clarke was sure Lincoln wouldn’t stop him either. She was more than happy to pretend that dating Finn never happened and never ever mention it to Lexa - she didn’t want to see the pity in those green eyes, the same pity that had looked back at her when she told Raven and Octavia.

“Clarkey here has a date!” Raven sing songs with a wicked grin. Clarke scowls at Raven who pretends to look guilty before turning her gaze towards Lexa. Her insides lighting up like the Fourth of July at Lexa’s reaction, cheeks filling with color and the small smile that pulls at her lips - that was a good sign if Clarke ever saw one.

“Guess you owe me $20, Anya,” Raven smirks looking like the cat that ate the canary.

“Fuck you,” she replies as she throws a $20 bill at Raven.

“Well if that’s the case - all you assholes get out of my house! Princess here needs to get ready!” Octavia yells, leaping to her feet, suddenly seeming far less hungover and in charge. Clarke groans swearing that next time she has a date she is going to keep her mouth shut. An all day primping session with Octavia, not to mention a hungover Octavia, was not high on Clarke’s list of things she enjoyed.

(It was above paying taxes but below getting her tax refund. So somewhere around #45 on her list.)

“It’s dinner, how much time could she possibly need?” Jasper groans from the floor.

“OUT!” Octavia yells startling Jasper, who leaps from the floor.

“Vous pouvez venir chez moi,” (“You can come over to my place”) Lincoln offers up to Anya and Lexa.

“What the fuck? Since when does Lincoln speak French?” Jasper asks as Monty drags him out the door.

“He does realize that I’m half Canadian right?” Lincoln exasperatedly murmurs. Clarke nearly slaps herself in the face for being so daft. She can’t believe that she forgot that Lincoln’s mom was from Toronto- she was also going to beat Octavia for not reminding her! She could have saved herself a lot of Google Translation embarrassment.

Octavia tries to steer everyone else out - but it was more like a blind sheep dog trying to herd cattle - entertaining but slightly pathetic. Something deep within Clarke gives a delicious squeeze as the bartender waves goodbye to her and the promise “see you later” falling from her lips. Subtlety Clarke pinches her arm, confirming that she is in fact not dreaming. Meeting Lexa had been a dream, getting her number had a been a dream. And now, she was going to go on a date with Lexa!  A dream that she wasn’t quite ready to wake up from - one that she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to wake up from.

* * *

 

Raven, Harper, Octavia and Clarke spent the afternoon at the mall doing stereotypical date prep. (If you’ve ever seen a 90’s rom-com you know exactly what this looks like.)

This meant that Clarke had to endure having her nails painted, legs waxed and hair done. Now if anyone had actually asked Clarke what she wanted, she would have told them that she was more than happy to shave her own legs and wash her own hair. She really didn’t need (see _want)_ all the pampering. She had tried to escape back to the comfort of Octavia’s couch and her fuzzy socks but Harper and Octavia had chased her through the mall - tackling her just before she could escape, earning multiple stares from the other shoppers. (Octavia yelled that they had to be careful, Clarke couldn’t have any bruises!)   

There was one enjoyable part about date prep though: shopping for an outfit.  There was an old tradition between the girls for situations like this, the rules were simple: For every outfit that was suggested to try on, the wearer got to pick out an outfit for the suggest-tee. Pictures were required of every outfit and could only be posted to social media on Wednesday’s with the included #wcw tags.

So when Harper pulls out a maroon “dress” (it was really just an overly stretched out shirt) Clarke makes her try on a leather cheetah print mini skirt. Raven hands Clarke a pant suit that would make Hillary Clinton cringe, in return she has to try on a hideous bright baby blue suit.

“Guys, I don’t even know where we’re going! For all I know we’re going to Pizza Put!” Clarke moans after trying on her fifth outfit - a small silver dress that barely covers her rear end - courtesy of Octavia.

“If Lexa thinks Pizza Put is a first date worthy of our Princess, I will personally kick her ass,” Octavia quips as she looks through a rack in their umptenth store.

“Yeah, Clarke! Have some faith in your bartender. She’s got massive heart eyes for you, so she’s probably going to take you to Mt. Weather or some where even more fancy,” comes Raven’s voice, muffled by the pretzel she’s busy stuffing into her mouth. Was Clarke supposed to pick out a restaurant? Yes Lexa did the asking but Clarke knew Arkcadia better...maybe she should have a place in mind just in case...

“Raven how much do you wanna bet that they don’t even make it till their food arrives?” Harper calls from somewhere in the store. Clarke lets out a small laugh to cover up the fact that her mind has now moved to the idea of her hands roaming across Lexa’s body and feeling every inch of her skin. Her belly drops and desire pools low in her stomach. The thought of spending time alone with Lexa was enough to send that desire even further into her stomach, anxiety sitting ontop of it making her insides squirm. Since their first kiss they hadn’t truly been alone. And most of their conversations had occurred through a phone screen. It was a little nerve wracking. Ok not a little. Very nerve wracking. Clarke hadn’t been on an actual date since before she and Finn became official and that was a lifetime ago.

“It’ll be fine,” Octavia whispers in her ear as she squeezes Clarke’s shoulder reassuringly, somehow being able to read Clarke’s mind. She holds a hanger out in front of Clarke, seeking her approval.

“Well?”

“O, it’s perfect!” Clarke breathes out before grabbing it and heading to the dressing room.

* * *

 

At 7pm sharp, the doorbell to Octavia’s house rings causing Clarke and her heart-rate to jump precariously.

“I got it!” Raven yells loudly. Someone lets out a loud whistle before Octavia’s voice floats through the house.

“Well, you clean up nicely, don’t cha. Now, remember our little girl has to be home at a reasonable hour.”

“And don’t think we don’t know what you’re planning to do to her,” Raven says sternly. “Do you need me to translate or do you think you got that in English?”

Clarke knows Raven is just teasing, playing the role of protective parent, hopefully Lexa is able to see that too - otherwise Clarke is going to kill Raven for scaring her off. She checks out her reflection one last time before going to save Lexa before Raven and Octavia cause any real harm.  


	8. The Fat B*tch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa and Clarke FINALLY get to go on their first date.  
> Try and figure out who is the thirstier one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers! Just a few quick things before you begin (if anyone even actually reads these)  
> 1 - Yes I know that "Chapter 8" was the same as Chapter 7 - it was a rewrite. It was done on purpose :D The old Chapter 7 will taken down as soon as this is up  
> 2 - The French isn't perfect in this story for a reason - Clarke isn't a native speaker so everything she says and hears is skewed a bit.  
> 3 - Thank you for every comment good, bad or other. It fuels me as a writer and drives me to be better. I absolutely love hearing back from you all even if I don't respond to the comments (I hate increasing the comment count because of my responses)  
> 4 - This is unbeta'd because I like to make life hard on @letalisnex so any mistakes are my own and not my amazing fabulous beta.  
> Oh and 5- Feel free to come talk with me because I've got no friends @faqubetta on Tumblr   
> Much love folks!

## Chapter 8

Lexa has never been to the desert and has never truly been thirsty. She’s never known the feeling of her mouth drying out and turning to sandpaper; when Clarke comes around the corner, Lexa swears she’s been traveling in the Sahara for weeks. She doesn’t know where to look first: Clarke’s knee high boots, the black jeans (that must have been painted on they looked that good) or the cerulean blue sweater with a dangerous neckline plunging straight to the depths of Hell. Clarke is absolutely stunning. Radiant. Lambent. Incandescent.

(We get it Lexa. Clarke is gorgeous.)

Lexa has to actively bite down on her tongue to avoid saying something embarrassing. She was positive that she was going to taste blood at any second . There was an annoyingly loud thumping noise blaring in her ears…. Oh yeah, that was her heart nearly breaking her rib cage.  

“Hi,” Lexa says with (false) confidence. She can’t recall the last time she had been this nervous for a date. Her first date with Costia? No, not even then.

This was something entirely new for Lexa. This was butterflies and free falling - this was that scene from Pitch Perfect where Aubrey tosses her cookies. Luckily, Lexa’s stomach is empty so she’s pretty sure she won’t be performing her own rendition of that.  

Mentally, she berates herself for feeling like a love sick school girl. The _Commander_ did not act like that No, she was strong. Love was weakness.

“Hello,” Clarke replies, a hint of pink coloring her cheeks.

Fuck it. Being weak for beautiful girls was inevitable.

(So was loving them.)

Lexa tries to focus on Clarke’s blue eyes but they’re swirling with such strong emotion that it’s hard to breathe. It feels like Clarke is seeing her, the real Lexa, all the way down to her soul. What was that Chinese expression? You have three faces. One you show to the world, one you show to friends and family and one you only show to yourself.

Yeah, Lexa is convinced that Clarke is seeing all three of her faces, even a fourth face - everything she is, was and ever would be, all her past lives and future reincarnations. It was intoxicating.  Her gaze flicks to Clarke’s lips then that oh so dangerous neckline before finally sliding back to meet her eyes; blue orbs sparklingly with quiet humor - Lexa is so busted.

“Seriously. Get a room. The eye fucking is disgusting,” Raven coons from the couch. Imperceptibly, Lexa shakes her head trying to clear her mind, completely forgetting that they weren’t alone.

“Read between the lines Raven,” Clarke teases as she holds up three fingers.

“And that’s our cue to go.” Clarke says to Lexa, grabbing her hand with with a small smile, setting the neurons in Lexa’s brain on fire.  

 

Lexa doesn’t know what to say now that they are alone. It’s the first time that they’ve truly been alone and she now she was maybe freaking out.

(She was freaking out and we all know that the Commander freaking out is rare occurence.)

Was she supposed to start the conversation? What was she even supposed to talk about? Did Clarke think the silence was awkward or did she think it was comfortable? _Really wish I had taken Anya up on that offer for pre-drinks,_ Lexa thinks begrudgingly, liquid courage an’ all. They silently walk down the sidewalk, hand-in-hand for a few minutes before Clarke breaks the silence.

“So where are we going?”

“It is a surprise.” And just like that Lexa’s apprehension disappears as Clarke gives her a mega-watt smile.

“I love surprises!”

  
  


* * *

 

They walk downtown hand-in-hand while Clarke points out various landmarks to Lexa: her favorite drunk munchies, a restaurant where Raven fake proposed to Octavia to get a free meal, the bar where Lincoln worked at as a bouncer and the tattoo parlor where Clarke got her first tattoo. Lexa’s heart beats erratically as she watches Clarke talk, eyes blazing with excitement as she recalls each story and her free hand waving dramatically.

Lexa pulls Clarke to a stop outside of a diner, turning to her with nerves tumbling around her stomach.

“Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas” (What’s wrong?) Clarke asks voice heavy with concern as she takes in Lexa’s expression. 

(Clarke speaking French is my weakness....Lexa speaking French is also my weakness. Honestly anyone speaking French is my weakness.)

“Wait...are….ARE WE GOING TO ALIE’S?!” She yelps as her eyes take in the building behind Lexa, bouncing on the balls of her feet eagerly.

“You said they have the best ehhh Macaroni et fromage (Macaroni and cheese)…” Lexa replies with a casual shrug of her shoulders, wincing as Clarke squeals in delight.

(But also Clarke squealing was more like a yelp because it was Clarke and Clarke didn’t squeal. At least she would say that she didn’t squeal.)

“They do have the best macaroni and cheese!” Clarke cries, dragging Lexa into the diner.  

*******************

Lexa decides that Alie’s has the most idiocratic decor she has ever seen. There didn’t seem to be one congruent theme. The interior resembled a mishmash of whatever pleased the designer; it appeared to have no clear pattern, just whatever fit the owner's mood.  Various 80’s inspired artwork, steampunk and medieval furniture and Asian statues were littered throughout the restaurant that was built within an old subway car fused with old shipping containers and assorted car parts.  It was chaos but a well functioning chaos - the building was surprisingly homey. And that was just the interior, then there was the menu - which was just as diverse as the decor. Everything from mac and cheese to Chinese food to tacos and even sushi seemed to exist on the menu.

Her stomach rolls as she reads some of the options, absolutely positive that Alie’s could not pass health code standards. How was a place serving a plethora of different foods supposed to pass?! But Lexa has to admit that Clarke’s enthusiasm was worth it, food poisoning be damned.

Looking up from her menu, Lexa watches Clarke scan the menu - face scrunched up in intense concentration, tongue sticking out between her teeth. A giggle (seriously Lexa you’re weak af) escapes between her lips - it was just so adorable...Clarke was just so adorable - breaking Clarke’s concentration.

“What?” Clarke asks innocently, looking up from her menu.

“Nothing,” Lexa replies with a smile as Clarke bumps her foot under the table. “What are you getting?”

“I really can’t decide. I’ve been fiending for some mac and cheese but also the quesadillas are SO good here! Ugh, and I can’t forget the pizza!” Clarke looks around the diner before leaning across the table, “Honnêtement, il pourrait même être mieux qu’à New York (“Honestly it might even be better than New York”),” she says with an air of conspiracy. Lexa lets out a small laugh at the paranoid look Clarke gives her before replying:

“If it is that good, then we must have it….and the famous mac and cheese and the however you call it.”

Clarke looks at her, eyes glistening in awe making Lexa squirm. There was that look again, the one that Lexa was sure went straight through her and down to the very atoms of her being.

“Seriously?”

“Why not?” Lexa says with a shrug of her shoulders, loving the way Clarke lights up at her response.

(So worth the increasingly high probability of food poisoning.)

“Hi! What can I g-Clarke!” The waitress cries as she looks at the blonde across from Lexa.

“Oh my god! Niylah! Hi! I didn’t know you still worked here! How are you?”

“Oh I’m great, in town for Octavia’s…” Lexa sits patiently as they catch up only half listening to their conversation or at least the half that she can understand. Trying her hardest not to stare at the way Clarke’s lips move and the way her tongue flicks out to wet her lips.

(And she definitely tries not to notice the way the waitress eyes Clarke’s dangerously low neckline.)

“Man! Alie is going to be so bummed that she missed seeing you! Well, let me know if you guys need anything.” The waitress, Niylah, says as she squeezes Clarke’s shoulder before heading back to the kitchen.

“Sorry,” Clarke says with an apologetic smile. Lexa smiles and nods her head noncommittally in response, trying to ignore the way her blood had boiled at the familiar contact between the girls. (Pull it together Lex. You thirsty or what.)

The food arrives and Lexa has to admit that it all looks, even smells, amazing. Mouth watering at the sight of what might be the cheesiest mac and cheese (she learnt a new English word) she has ever seen. She has no idea how they’re supposed to eat all the food, it looks as if they were feeding a small army instead of having dinner for two.

Conversation during dinner flows naturally, moving from one topic to the next and Lexa can’t even remember why she was nervous to begin with. Talking, being, with Clarke was easy - almost as if they had known each other forever.  

Niylah comes back to clear their plates when they finish eating, not the least bit surprised that (by some miracle) all the food is gone.

“Honestly, I’m not even surprised. Clarke can eat her weight. Do you guys want dessert?”

Clarke looks at Lexa with a pout, shit. (I mean how was this girl still hungry?)

She looks absolutely adorable and Lexa is slowing realizing that she is weak.

Weak.

Weak.

Weak, at least when it comes to Clarke Griffin.

“Of course.” Lexa says giving Clarke a full blown smile.

“The usual?” Niylah asks Clarke.

“Please.” Clarke’s eyes are locked on Lexa waiting, for what though Lexa isn’t sure.  

“One Fat Bitch comin up!”

Lexa stares at the waitress, recognizing the English words. Utterly shocked that the waitress had said that, Lexa was under the impression that that word happened to be an offensive one. Clarke howls with laughter, blue eyes shining like the ocean in the sun.

“Your face…” Clarke tries to say between laughs, “I’m sorry, but your reaction was so worth it.”

Lexa watches Clarke laugh - it’s hypnotising and alluring and Lexa wants nothing more than to capture this moment in time. This moment where Clarke, eyes glistening with unshed tears and a smile that Michelangelo himself could have chiseled looks entirely carefree and filled happiness. It’s hypnotising and alluring and Lexa wishes she could kiss Clarke, to taste the sunlight that radiates from within her.

(So she does.)

Lexa leans across the table, palms pressing into the wood table for stability and gently presses her lips to Clarke’s, effectively silencing her laughter. Lexa intends for the kiss to be innocent but then Clarke is kissing her back, tongue flicking across her bottom lip asking for entry and Lexa...well how can Lexa say no to the sun?

(Weak.)

Clarke’s tongue slips into Lexa’s mouth and Lexa feels drunk. Her heart starts beating faster and she can taste sunshine and happiness and Clarke. Clarke. Clarke. Lexa tries to deepen the kiss and close the space between because god kissing Clarke is everything. Kissing Clarke is like the eighth wonder, no, it’s more like the seventh wonder. Forget the Colosseum - it was not what dreams are made of. Lizzie McQuire lied.  But her hips bump the table, causing the water from one of the cups to slosh over the brim and spill onto the table. Lexa feels Clarke’s lips teasing into a smile, foreheads pressing together for a moment before Lexa leans back into her seat. She struggles to get air back into her lungs but really how is oxygen relevent when she could be kissing Clarke? All she wants to do is kiss Clarke and to keep kissing Clarke - Lexa was addicted. But there were worse things to be addicted to right?

“What is a Fat Bitch?” Lexa asks, trying to gather her composure, tongue stumbling over the foreign words. Clarke just gawks at her visibly trying to gather her own breath. She’s looking at Lexa with flushed cheeks, pupils blown exponentially and bottom lip pinched between teeth. It makes Lexa’s heart race with desire, wanting no, needing to kiss Clarke again. Clarke swallows and clears her throat before answering Lexa’s question.

“How do you feel about surprises?”

Lexa hates surprises. Absolutely hates everything about surprises. But Clarke is looking at her and Lexa is still seeing stars and higher holy power and Clarke could tell her to jump off a bridge right now and she would. But before she can answer, Clarke is leaning across the table and pressing her lips against Lexa’s. Lexa is sure her heart stops beating for a moment as Clarke kisses her tenderly. The kiss is over in seconds, Lexa’s lips chasing Clarkes as the blonde pulls away. Clarke gives her a knowing smirk, threading her fingers with Lexa’s left hand.

Lexa decides then that surprises aren’t so bad after.  


	9. Dessert With A Side Of Sinning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa finish their first date with some interruptions.  
> The Commander makes an appearance, so does Avril Lavigne.  
> Theres some sinning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this unbeta'd because I'm really excited about this one and want to hear all your reactions! Also the Fat Bitch is a real desert and ITS AMAZING.  
> Much love to all of you who read this and provide comments and feedback. You guys are the best! 
> 
> P.s Yes I know the french isn't perfect

Clarke listens to Lexa talk while her thumb traces small circles on the back of Lexa’s hand. She can see the gears churning behind Lexa’s eyes, each word meticulously accounted for, tongue moving efficiently over the unaccustomed English. She doesn’t even care that she has the stupidest grin on her face; she’s more than happy to listen to Lexa talk. The way her eyes light up as she talks about squids and the ocean only makes Clarke smile wider.

Being with Lexa was like breathing. Natural. Easy. The fact that Lexa had remembered the ONE time she mentioned Alie’s made Clarke’s heart swell with emotion for the Canadian until it was pressing painfully against her ribs.

Clarke was a ‘feeler’, diving head first into everything and relying on gut feelings to lead her in the right direction. And right now, they were leading her straight down the rabbit hole that was Love + Lexa.

 

* * *

 

 

“One Fat Bitch!” Niylah says as she places the massive dessert on the table between them. Clarke laughs loudly at Lexa’s comical reaction, eyes bulging out at dessert. The Fat Bitch was Clarke’s favorite dessert in the history of EVER.

Brownie batter was poured into a circular pan, topped with Oreo’s that were covered with chocolate chip cookie dough and then baked to gooey chocolatey perfection. It didn’t end there however, it was then topped with four scoops of vanilla ice cream, which was topped with chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, peanut butter cups, cookie dough balls, whipped cream and last but not least - two cherries. It was massive and fittingly named The Fat Bitch. The dessert was big enough to share with at least four people.

“Oh,” Lexa breathes out completely shocked.

“Good luck,” Niylah says to Clarke.

(But Clarke doesn’t see the wink that Niylah sends her way because she’s too busy eye fucking her dessert.)

(But you know who does see it? Lexa.)

Clarke feels Lexa’s hand momentarily tense up before abruptly pulling away from Clarke’s grasp and placing her hand in her lap. Clarke stares at Lexa in confusion. _What just happened?_

Confusion turns to a pout as Lexa reaches for her fork with her other hand. _Ok, nothing happened, she’s just eating this amazing dessert._

(Can I call bullshark on that Clarke?)

Clarke watches as Lexa tentatively sticks her fork into the pie before bringing it to her mouth.

“Mmm,” Lexa moans as her mouth closes around the fork, taste buds erupting in pleasure. Clarke subconsciously squeezes her thighs together as Lexa moans around her fork, throat bobbing as she swallows. Suddenly craving a very different kind dessert.

(The inappropriate kind.)

Instead she settles for picking up her fork and following Lexa’s lead.

“Good?”

“Very.” Lexa states, green eyes burning with happiness and something darker as she looks at Clarke, setting the girl's insides on fire.

Clarke lifts her fork up to her mouth, eyes closing as the dessert touches her lips. A small whine leaves her lips as she imagines the dessert as a tall brunette green eyed Canadian.  

(Clarke stop turning food into porn please.)

When she opens her eyes those same green eyes that she had imagined clenched tightly in pleasure, are staring into the depths of her soul. A shiver rips its way down Clarke’s spine as she imagines ripping open Lexa’s grey button up and letting her hands and tongue explore the taunt chiseled abs that lie beneath. _Or that I imagine to lie beneath..._   

(Please try and keep it together, you’re in public.)

“Good?” Lexa asks in a husky voice.

“Very,” Clarke replies devilishly, loving the way Lexa clenches her jaw in response. Unbiddingly an image of her licking up Lexa’s stomach, teeth grazing the skin and leaving marks pops into her mind. It’s enough to make Clarke’s heart rate escalate as she squeezes her thighs harder. Clarke knows that she won’t make it through dessert if they continue this way. The sexual tension is growing, drowning the air in a charged heat - a silent inferno roaring between them. Clarke expects the table to combust at any second. She needs to do something. Anything to keep her from leaping over the table and taking Lexa right here and now.  

Scooping some ice cream onto her fork Clarke moves it towards Lexa’s mouth; Lexa looks momentarily confused before leaning towards the fork. Just before she can wrap her mouth around the ice cream, Clarke bop’s Lexa on the nose. Clarke giggles as Lexa stares at her indignantly, vanilla ice cream dripping down her nose.

Boop!

Clarke looks at Lexa in complete shock as vanilla ice cream now drips down her own nose. Lexa smirks and Clarke nearly becomes melted ice cream herself. Damn that smirk and damn the way it makes everything in her tighten. And damn Lexa for looking entirely too irresistible even with vanilla ice cream dripping down her nose. _This is not going in my favor._

(Sorry Clarke. Not really though.)

“We are even now.” Lexa smiles as she pops another forkful into her mouth.

“This isn’t me admitting defeat, I just really love this dessert” Clarke huffs as she resumes eating which earns her a small laugh from Lexa.

They’re halfway through dessert when Lexa’s fork clatters to the table and the brunette stands from the booth. Clarke looks up startled by the sudden action. Lexa stands defensively in front of the table, eyes narrowed and distrust written all over her face. Looking around the diner, Clarke notices a familiar head of shaggy hair walking towards their booth.

**Finn**.

Finn eyes Lexa warily but continues his approach.

“Go away,” Lexa practically growls.

“Down guard dog,” he answers with a smile.

(Jerk.)

“Can I talk to you?” he asks in Clarke’s direction.

Clarke’s stomach churns unpleasantly as she remembers the night before.

“What do you want Finn?” Clarke asks, trying to keep her voice steady. He attempts to move closer to the booth but Lexa side steps, blocking his path. She watches as Finn sizes her up, lips pulling back into a snarl.

“No.” Lexa states authoritatively.

“I just want to talk, can we do that?” he asks, leaning around Lexa’s frame to look at Clarke. Clarke notices the small stubble that has grown in overnight and the ways his eyes shine. They’re the clear amber brown that had originally pulled Clarke in, she had loved the way they  sparkled with mirth and shone with love when directed at Clarke. He looked every bit the boy she had fallen for which meant he was sober for a change.

“We tried that last night and look at how that ended” Clarke states, exasperated.

“Yeah but...look…” he moves aside so he can look at Clarke directly before continuing, “I was drunk ok?”

Clarke looks at him completely flabbergasted. Finn had become a grade A prick, the type of guy that he used to belittle and swear he would never become. The asshole.

“That is no excuse.” Lexa says with barely contained fury, fists clenched by her side. Clarke can feel the anger rolling off her in small violent waves. It was scary how much power she could feel, not because she was afraid but because it was turning her on.  

“Who are you again?” Finn asks sardonically.

“Finn, don’t start.”

“I was drunk, things escalated. That wasn’t how I planned for things to happen Clarke, you know me. We both said and did things we didn’t mean. It’s ok.”

Lexa looks at Clarke, eyes burning with fury, almost begging Clarke to let her kick his ass.

“You don’t deserve Clarke.” Lexa says, voice laced with authority. “That is a weak man excuse. You say you love Clarke, you do not treat her like it. If she were not here, I would kick your ass back to the trou d'enfer d'où vous êtes venu (hell hole whence you came). But this is a very good date and I do not think she would approve. Apologize and leave.” Despite Lexa’s accent and limited English, the point is clear. To get to Clarke, Finn would have to go through her; and if the power and authority that was radiating off of Lexa was anything to go by, Finn would lose. Easily.  

Clarke has never viewed herself as a damsel in distress, she was quite capable of standing up for herself, but watching Lexa do it for her was…..well shit. It was hot as hell. Clarke can’t decide what does her in - Lexa’s commanding authority or her fierce protectiveness - but desire erupts and overflows like Mount Vesuvius, burning a fiery path within her. She wants Lexa, badly.

“She is waiting.” Finn looks at her with barely controlled anger, his own fists clenched by his side.

“I’m sorry,” he says grudgingly.

“You may go,” Lexa retorts, chin held high, ever the one in charge. Clarke thinks she deserves to be sitting over a throne, controlling massive armies.

(Commander.)

“Wait,” Clarke replies, standing so she can look Finn in the eye. Letting all her emotions seethe through her, like heat lightning - filling her until she explodes.

“What you did Finn, it wasn’t ok. You crossed a line. And it wasn’t the first time either. You can’t even apologize properly. Why do you have to go and make things so complicated?

I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else, it’s frustrating. The boy I loved would be disgusted with what you have become. Ok, now you can go.” Clarke finishes her speech with a huff as all the energy that had been building is released.

(Yeah so what if she referenced and Avril Lavigne song? It was fitting in the moment.)

She can’t quite face the defeat that reflects in Finn’s eyes, instead she looks at Lexa. Lexa stares back at her, pride swirling in the greenness of her eyes crashing into the black desire that was slowly taking over her pupils. All Clarke could feel now was desire, Lexa’s name pounding away in her veins like the drumbeat before a battle.

For once Finn says nothing, he just turns and walks away. Lexa breaks Clarke’s gaze as she watches Finn like a hawk until he exits the diner. Lexa’s body relaxes slightly at his exit but Clarke can still feel the power rolling off in smaller, calmer waves.

“Sortons d'ici (let’s get out of here)” Lexa states, voice tight with authority as she throws handful of bills onto the table.

“Ok,” Clarke murmurs with barely concealed anticipation, taking Lexa’s offered hand.

 

They walk back towards Octavia’s in silence, each lost to their own thoughts. It’s a comfortable silence only broken by the sounds of college kids laughing as they duck into bars. Clarke tips her face up towards the sky and the falling snow, enjoying this moment of pure bliss. She can’t help but think of that scene from the movies where the two characters walk quietly, in obvious bliss before having passionate sex while some cheesy song plays in the background.

(When did her life become some cheesy romcom?)

She shivers at the thought of her and Lexa re-enacting a similar scene.

“Cold?” Lexa asks softly, speaking for the first time since they left the restaurant.

“No.” She isn’t cold, not really, not when her hand is linked with Lexa’s. Not when it feels feels as if a thousand suns are blazing down on her. Despite her response Lexa still pulls her grey beanie off, smiling as she tugs it down onto Clarke’s head and past her eyes. Clarke giggles as her world briefly goes dark before pulling the hat above her eyes to see Lexa staring at her with a dazzling smile.

“Perfect,” Lexa breathes softly as she smiles at Clarke. Clarke can’t help but agree as snowflakes litter Lexa’s brunette trussles crowning her in white, she looked perfect.

Their walk is over much faster than Clarke anticipated, she wasn’t prepared to say goodbye not when a fire of desire is raging within - burning her alive. Their linked hand rests between them as Clarke faces Lexa, rocking on her heels. Before she can second guess or overthink, Clarke dives headfirst down the rabbit hole. Yanking on Lexa’s hand she tugs the Canadian into her space, connecting their lips in a feverish kiss. It’s a mess of teeth, tongue and bumping noses as all the desire implodes. Lexa’s teeth nip at Clarke’s bottom lip. Clarke’s tongue slips into Lexa’s mouth, fighting for dominance. She needs more - her hands find Lexa’s waist and she pulls the girl’s hips into her, moaning quietly at the contact. Lexa’s hands cup Clarke’s face tenderly as her lips move roughly against Clarke’s, desire spilling out between the gaps. Clarke never wants this kiss to end; it’s rough, passionate, sweet and tender and Clarke’s head is starting to swim from the lack of oxygen, this was the kind of kiss that you saw in movies, read about in poems...It was the creation of the universe, the big bang, the start and end of infinity. Perfect.

She pulls away from Lexa who whimpers softly which makes Clarke quiver in the knees. Their forehead rests together, breath fogging in the air between them.

“You leave tomorrow,” Clarke states sullenly unable to look Lexa in the eye, afraid that she would see just how badly Clarke wanted her…..wanted her to stay.

“Yes,” Lexa whispers, eyes searching Clarke’s.

“Then let’s make tonight count,” Clarke purrs before opening the front door and crashing their lips together once more.

They stumble in the dark, too wrapped up in the kiss to turn on a light, eventually finding their way to the couch. Their jackets and hat falling to the floor as greedy hands search for skin.

(Gonna regret that guys.)

Clarke pushes Lexa roughly onto the couch, enjoying the growl Lexa gives her all too much. She climbs onto Lexa’s lap, kissing down her jaw then neck as her hands work on undoing Lexa’s buttons, hips grinding down on Lexa’s lap searching for friction. Lexa’s hands grip the hem of Clarke’s shirt, tugging in silent permission to remove the top. The kiss breaks as Clarke’s shirt is lifted up and discarded. As soon as the shirt is removed Clarke begins her ruthless assault on Lexa’s skin once more. Mouth moving to explore the skin that is revealed as Clarke pushes Lexa’s shirt from her shoulders. Nipping at Lexa’s skin harshly, soothing the skin with a flick of her tongue.   

“Well well well, do you have any idea what time it is,” a voice says from the darkness. Clarke is so startled she yelps, tumbling from Lexa’s lap and landing on the floor with a heavy thump. A light is clicked on, revealing Raven sitting in the armchair looking much too smug.

**“** What the fuck,” Clarke seethes. Angry at being interrupted but also disappointed. _Where the hell is my shirt? What did Lexa do throw it across the Atlantic?_ She looks at Lexa who is blushing so deeply that she reminds Clarke of a tomato. She smirks as she takes in the hickes that litter Lexa’s skin, little trophies of her handiwork.

“WHO'S ROBBING US?!” Octavia yells as she runs into the living room wielding a wooden bat further startling Clarke and Lexa.

“Oh gross guys. Not on my couch!” Octavia moans as she takes in the shirtless girls. Clarke watches as Lexa calmly buttons her shirt, barely looking phased by the interruption. But Clarke is finally learning how to read the emotions that live within the forest of Lexa’s eyes, she can see the fire burning there - the same hungry desperation that Clarke feels and that same irritation at being interrupted.

“I should go,” Lexa says coolly, grabbing her jacket from the floor.

“Yeah, ok.” Clarke replies trying not to sound too disgruntled as she walks Lexa to the front door. Gently Lexa presses a kiss to Clarke’s lips, thumb swiping her bottom lip when she pulls away.

“I will see you before I leave,” Lexa breathes against Clarke’s lips before kissing them one last time. “Goodnight Clarke.”

“Goodnight Lexa,” Clarke breathes as their lips part.

As the door closes behind Lexa, Clarke rounds on Raven and Octavia, shooting them the foulest gaze she can manage. They wither under the intensity, looking overly guilty.

“Sorry Clarke,” Octavia murmurs, “You know you’re more than welcome to get it on on my couch anytime.”

Clarke groans at the loss of what could have been.

“Yeah sorry Princess,” Raven says.

“No you’re not,” Clarke says to Raven.

“You’re right, I’m not. Your reaction was priceless. Do you wanna see?” Raven quips, holding out her phone to Clarke.

“Fuck. You. Raven,” Clarke snarls as she throws her shirt at Raven, who just laughs loudly.

“I know you don’t mean that Grif.”

“I hate you.”

(She doesn’t.)

“You hate that I’m right.”

(That’s true.)

“Can we all go to bed now?” Octavia asks through a yawn.

“I call being middle spoon,” Clarke declares as she stumbles after Octavia.

“Fine,” Raven grumbles as she trails after them.

“So please, can someone explain how I ended up with the two of you?” Harper whines into Clarke’s neck.

“Blame Raven for her rude cliterference,” Clarke moans from her middle spoon spot.

“Honestly Princess I wasn’t expecting you two to be getting it on right then and there! I thought I was just going to get a chance to scare you.”

“Yeah well, next time don’t. Not my fault if I grope you in my sleep.”

“Getting groped by _THE_ Clarke Griffin? What an honor,” Raven retorts. “Just don’t bite me, I saw what you did to Lexa’s neck. You vampire.”

Harper’s body shakes as she laughs, shaking Clarke’s body which in turn shakes Raven’s. Soon all three girls are laughing, the bed shaking violently beneath them like some bad 70’s motel bed.

(Ya know, the ones where you put the quarter in and the bed shakes for like 5 minutes.)

“Damn, I got the bad end of the spoon arrangement,” Harper jokes gasping for air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Having some trouble figuring out the direction for the next chapter. So come talk to me about plot ideas or whatever! I can be found on tumblr as faqubetta  
> Just for fun anonymously (or not idc) put a number in my inbox for the next chapter's character perspective:  
> 1: Lexa  
> 2: Clarke  
> 3: Raven/Anya


	10. Sassy and Sarcastic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven causes some trouble and Anya doesn't know how to function.
> 
> (It's really just some character fluff.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is not fine wine - it hasn't gotten better the longer I've had it.   
> Honestly maybe we should just pretend this chapter doesn't even exist? 
> 
> But even so, I would love to hear what you all have to say! The good, the bad, the ugly about this chapter and if you liked having a chapter from Raven/Anya's perspective. 
> 
> This is un-beta'd so if you want to point out mistakes and be my beta and hear me moan and groan my link is at the bottom!
> 
> <3 Happy 4th of July fellow Americans!

Raven giggles at her phone, rewinding the video she’s been watching for the umpteenth time. Pressing ‘play’ once more, she watches as Clarke and Lexa stumble through the door a mess of hands and eager bodies oblivious to Raven sitting in the shadows. The thought hadn’t totally escaped Raven at how creepy she had been, but! But! How was she supposed to know that Clarke wasn’t going to be lady like and say goodbye at the door? Not that Raven believed there was anything wrong with putting out on the first date - “You do you Clarke” - and good for Clarke for trying to get some imported ass. She  _ had _ made her presence known as soon as things started to escalate into possible porn territory! So really Raven did not feel guilty at all for being a grade A creep. Not after watching Clarke fall in shock and the horror that had flashed across Lexa’s face. Definitely worth her creeper status.     

“Asshole,” Anya grunts as she slams a five dollar bill onto the table. 

Raven looks up from her phone, shitting eating grin plastered on her face as Anya pushes her further into their booth at P3. 

(Bonus points to those who get that reference.)

“She told you then?” Raven asks trying to control the giddiness in her voice. 

“She didn’t have to! Have you seen her neck?” 

Raven glances over her shoulder at Clarke, Lexa and Lincoln ordering food at the counter - the dark red bruise on Lexa’s neck clearly visible even from a distance. Her nose scrunches up as she watches Lexa and Clarke playful bump shoulders as they giggle. Disgusting. Turning back to Anya with a mischievous smile she holds her phone out. 

“Want to see something hilarious?” 

Tilting her phone towards Anya, she presses play and watches the scene from last night unfold….again. She watches Anya watch the video, watches how Anya’s eyes light up in mirth and a silent tear streaks down her cheek. 

“How-did,” Anya starts before a deep gravelly laugh is ripped from her lips. “How did you get that?” she finishes, wiping the tear from her skin. It’s the most emotion she’s seen Anya show (at least while sober).... _ So not a robot then…. _ Raven is momentarily distracted with Anya’s sudden burst of emotion, it’s the most she’s shown while sober and it shocking.  _ She has a really nice laugh….guess she’s not a robot.  _

“I am a genius,” Raven smirks, “and a bad ass engineer. I upgraded the iphone camera with some night vision tech I made,” shrugging her shoulder casually. As if it had been that simple to create a night vision camera that fit within an iphone. Anya looks at her in mild admiration, at least that's what Raven thinks but it could also be her “I want to murder you” face, frankly it’s hard to tell because all her facial expressions seem to be the same. 

“Wait, that means they didn’t hook up! You _owe_ _me!_ ” Anya exclaims jabbing Raven’s shoulder with a finger.

Raven tuts, holding up a finger looking much too smug.

“That is where you are wrong. You did not specify what type of hook up and here in America, hooking up can mean just making out. Now whose fault is that, eh?” 

Anya huffs, rolls her eyes and probably considers all the different ways she could murder Raven, who subtly moves the spoon lying next to Anya’s hand further away. 

Anya grins at Raven, stunning her with another uncharacteristic show of emotion.

“Play it again.”  

So Raven does.

“What are you two laughing at?” Clarke asks sliding into the booth on the other side of Raven, Lexa sliding in after her. 

“Cat memes,” Raven lies easily, switching windows on her phone before turning it around to show Clarke and Lexa. It was some joke about how cats are actually evil geniuses sent from a far off planet to take over the human race and Earth. 

(It’s true, they were.) 

“I do not get it,” Lexa states perplexedly. 

“That’s because you have no sense of humor,” Anya retorts. 

“It’s hilarious!” Raven coo’s, “Where’s O?” she asks as Lincoln slides into their U-bend booth. 

“She went for a run this morning, said something about missing yesterday. She should be here soon.” 

Raven loves Octavia, truly, but the girls workout ethic was nauseating. Getting sweaty and actively exercising? Error 404, the desire for such activity could not be found. Exercise? More like extra fries. 

Raven feels herself zoning out as she listens to Lexa and Lincoln prattle on about guitars and blah blah blah. Watching paint dry sounded more entertaining than listening to the difference between a Gibbon and a Blender…... _ bet I could invent something that would make watching paint dry actually fun...like a drinking game….or….. _

“How do you pronounce ‘maple syrup’?” Raven asks Anya with a devilish grin deciding on a different form of entertainment. 

Starting an argument ( _ debate _ ) with Anya is much more enjoyable than watching paint dry even if alcohol had been involved. In the last two days Raven has taken a perverted interest in starting little arguments with Anya. It had become a little game for Raven (easily her new favorite) to try and pull emotions from the older girl - even at the risk of her own murder. 

The current score (in Raven’s mind) -

Raven: 12

Anya: 9 

Not to mention that Anya’s ability to throw sass back at Raven was more entertaining than watching failed fireworks explosions (and Raven  _ loved _ things that went boom. Especially failed booms where people set themselves on fire.) 

Anya’s eyes flash with agitation, eyebrows pulling in slightly and Raven knows she’s pushed a button. 

Raven: 13

She practically bounces in her seat as Anya replies. 

“It’s ‘maple syRUP. You American’s wouldn’t know what good syrup tasted like if it wasn’t for us.” Disdain dripping from her voice, clearly unamused. 

(Think of it as sir-up.)

“Firstly, we are literally in a town whose high school mascot is a maple tree. A tree Anya. A goddamn actual tree!” Raven whines personally offended by this one fact. “Secondly how would we know what your maple syrup tastes like when it’s been stolen. I mean who loses thirty million dollars worth of maple syrup?! Canadians that's who. Thirdly, it’s spelt S-Y-R-U-P,” Raven eggs unable to resist the fight, dropping an invisible microphone. Raven grins wickedly as Anya starts ranting about American’s and their lack of proper tapping techniques. Anya gets so agitated that she slips into French, arguing with Raven who can only understand a fourth of the conversation. Thank god for Spanish, amiright? Though at one point she is pretty sure that Anya threatens to kill her with nothing but a paperclip...

Raven tries to pull Lexa into the debate but one glare from Anya shuts Lexa right up. 

_ Pussy. _

“So how bout the weather?” Clarke asks with a pointed look at Raven. She pouts in defeat at the obvious attempt to change topics Anya grins evilly beside her.  _So apparently she can show anger and sith lorde emotions. Noted._

Anya: 10

“The weather is very nice today,” Lexa states. Raven stares at Lexa in astonishment, this girl.  _ I mean really? Clarke sure knows how to pick them. _ Anya groans. Raven laughs happily, pout disappearing entirely, loving Lexa’s weird but endearing _(not that I find Lexa endearing but like I'm sure someone else does....like Clarke!)_ formal way of speaking English. 

“You have a point there bartender,” Raven smiles suggestively.   

Halfway through breakfast Octavia shoves Lincoln roughly as she slides onto the end of the bench, sweaty limbs squeaking against the vinyl seating.  

“Hey!”

“Sorry babe, food first. Love second,” Octavia huffs as she pulls a tower of pancakes towards her, quickly stuffing her face. 

“Murhumpffffffffff?” Octavia asks around the food in her mouth. 

“Chew, swallow then talk Octavia. We’ve been over this.” Clarke scolds with an eyeroll. 

It had taken Raven a bit of practice but she had finally become fluent in what she and Clarke dubbed “Octavood” - the language that Octavia seemed to speak only when food was around - typically a mixture of mumbles, grunts and fork waving. Clarke still struggled with it but then again, she wasn’t as brilliant as Raven.  _ The brightest witch of her age _ . 

“She asked ‘How was the date last night?’” Raven sasses with contained (or at least some form of ill contained enthusiasm) enthusiasm. She’d been dying to hear about the date but knew Clarke wouldn’t divulge any information to her after last night, so she  _ waited.  _ And Raven hated waiting.  _ Good things come to those who wait my ass. _ Octavia eagerly nods her head.

“How did you even understand that?” Lincoln asks in awe.

“Genius.” Raven states pointing a thumb at herself with a pleased smile.

“So how was last night?” Octavia asks again.

“Must’ve been good based off Lexa’s neck,” Raven quips. 

Raven loves the way Clarkes cheeks darken with a blush, wow must’ve been some date. Clarke hasd’t blushed this much since that one time Raven found her B.O.B in their bathroom half way through freshman year. 

*///*

Raven had teased Clarke for WEEKS after that event. Not because she was against some quality “me time” she was a strong independent woman and all. It was more about seeing Clarke turn crimson whenever she even  _ hinted _ at masturbation. She would fumble with whatever she was holding, stutter through a sentence and then make a mad dash out of their room. By sophomore year their best friend status had been solidified and Clarke had stopped being embarrassed, much to Raven’s disappoint. And utter horror at Clarke becoming much more open about her “me time.” 

*///*

Lexa however remains completely impassive next to her.  _ What is with these two Canadians and their stoic expressions?! _

“Oh uh, it was nice.” Raven notices the small tick in Lexa’s lips as they attempt to turn upwards and the way her eyes slide to look at Clarke, sparkling with... _geez are those hearts?_ _This is like some horrible rom-com_.

(Raven that is entirely the point.) 

“Princess…” Octavia trails off clearly dissatisfied. 

“Come on Anya, don’t you want to hear how their date went?” Raven jests as she elbows Anya playfully in the side. Anya gives her a long glare. If Raven wasn’t positive that Anya lacked the human capacity to like actually like someone, she would swear they were becoming friends or at least on non-murderous terms.

(Uh huh.) 

“Yes, please tell us about your date,” she states in an aloof tone. 

“We went to Ali’s,” Clarke supplies with a smile.

“Mac and cheese?” Octavia wonders excitedly.

“Duh. And Pizza and Quesadillas.”

“What about dessert? Did you get  _ dessert _ ?” Raven questions wickedly, waggling her eyebrows at the double meaning behind her words.

“Of course. We shared a Fat Bitch.” 

Raven and Octavia groan. The Fat Bitch had been their brain child one drunken night during Raven and Clarke’s sophomore year, Octavia’s freshman year. That had been the night they decided to all be roommates the following year. It required a bit of scheming on Octavia’s end - students were expected to live on campus till the end of their sophomore year. But a couple of fake calls and letters and one job later, they were roommates!

“Finn showed up.” 

“What?!” Octavia growls slamming her cup down on the table rattling the silverware.

“The actual fuck?” Raven sneers feeling her blood boil. She had not been expecting that, not based of Lexa’s hickeys or Clarke’s bashfulness to talk about the date.

*///*

She hated (still hates) Finn….almost as much as she hates herself for introducing Clarke to him. Raven had known Finn since her thirteenth birthday - they had been best friends, family practically. He had been a sweet kid growing up, always looking out for Raven and taking care of her when Raven’s own mother was too fucked up to even notice if she was home. So logically it had made sense, setting Clarke up with Finn during their sophomore year - the two best people in Raven’s life. She had wanted all the credit when they had their adorable babies with their toothy grins and floppy hair, plus she wanted the title of Fairy Godmother. Relationships were all about chemistry and chemistry was science and Raven was an expert in science. So of course they worked - it was scientifically proven that they would. Except, Raven hadn’t accounted for the unknown variable - Finn’s freshman year at a college out West. That year apart had changed him, in ways that Raven didn’t expect nor understood. She didn’t notice till it was too late - till Clarke and Finn were “madly in love” and planning a future. He had started to become more like Raven’s deadbeat mother, which broke Raven’s heart because that just wasn’t who Finn was, or so she thought. She told herself that it was a phase. That he would grow out of it now that he was back with Raven, that he would become the man Raven had known when he had been a boy. She had been wrong and that  _ irked _ her because Raven was rarely wrong when it came to science. And she HATED being wrong almost as much as she hated NASA for kicking Pluto out.  

Things got worse, less for her and more for Clarke. Raven spent months trying to convince Clarke to leave Finn, because she  _ knew _ how these things ended - her mother was living proof of that, Clarke wouldn’t hear it.  

So Raven played the role of supportive friend - taking care of Clarke when Captain Douche fucked up, when her dad died, when she was a drunken sloppy mess - she might as well have been the one dating Clarke. 

And then  _ it _ happened and Raven lost it. She raged. Things were thrown and shattered and Raven  **HATED** Finn. She plotted a 100 different ways to blow him up - Clarke found her list and made her promise that she wouldn’t actually follow through.  _ Buzz kill. _  But she did go as far as reprogramming Chester to attack Finn if he ever came back to the apartment. Though that hadn’t gone particularly well, every time Bellamy came over Chester would attack him….probably had something to do with his long floppy locks. Eventually Bellamy had to cut his hair just to stop the attacks. That part had been entertaining, watching Bellamy run away from a mechanical murderous cat. Octavia hadn’t been much better - she rigged the house with booby traps every time Clarke was left alone. Between Chester and Octavia, Clarke, Raven and Octavia had a total of 24 stitches between them by the time Raven and Clarke graduated and moved out…..that's not counting all the other accidents that only required bandaids. 

The worst part though? Clarke’s reaction. Raven had raged, had gotten all her emotional turmoil out and moved on, deleted Finn from her life - it had been easier than she thought (that scared her) but Finn was a grown adult and needed to learn to act like it. Octavia didn’t have the that similar familiarity with Finn so for her it was as if he never existed at all. And Clarke...Clarke become silent, withdrawing into herself for months, becoming best friends with Jose Cuervo; she didn’t laugh as much (or at all), loud noises scared her and if Raven was being polite - she let herself go (Clarke stopped showering every day, staying in the same clothes for days at a time...it wasn’t pretty….and it sure as hell didn’t smell good). So yeah Raven  **HATED** Finn.

*///*

“It was fine, Lexa was there. She can vouch. I told Finn to take a hike,” Clarke answers with dignity while Lexa nods her head next to her. 

“You quoted Avril Lavigne,” Lexa discloses to the table, lips tugging upwards ever so slightly. 

“Tell me you didn’t,” Raven cries shaking her head in disbelief.

Clarke shrugs her shoulders in slight embarrassment, “I might’ve.”

“God I wish I had been there. What song did you use?”

“ _ Complicated _ .” 

(Arguably the best Avril Lavigne song.) 

“Clarke Griffin, you are a 21st poet.”

“Thank you Octavia, but you still can’t have my bacon.” Clarke smiles at the defeated look that passes over Octavia’s features.

“But it’s my birthday,” Octavia whines.

“Your birthday was yesterday,” Clarke sighs but nevertheless passes her plate to a grinning Octavia. 

“Ok. Who's trying to play footsie with me?” Raven demands. Lexa’s cheeks turn a violent shade of red as Clarke tries not to choke on her water. 

Raven nearly throws up.

* * *

 

Anya is sitting in her car, fingers rhythmically tapping on the steering wheel as she watches Lexa say goodbye to “The Trio” (at least that's what Raven had referred to them as) and Lincoln. She had waved and said goodbye as quickly as possible, escaping to her car to avoid Raven Reyes. Never before had she met someone like this brash and slightly tolerable mechanic. It was  _ almost _ refreshing, to meet someone that she didn’t instantly want to kill. There had been moments when she had to take calming breaths and fight the inner urge to kill her (it  _ was  _ pronounced syRUP). Not that she actually liked Raven Reyes or enjoyed her company. Not at all. 

(Liar.)

She watches completely flabbergasted as Lexa surges forward crashing her lips against Clarke’s, hands cupping her cheeks gently. She can’t hear what Lexa murmurs to Clarke when they break apart but Clarke nods her head vigorously in response. Anya pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration, she couldn’t wait to go home. Away from all the noise and  _ emotion _ . It was suffocating her and she didn’t know how to handle it. Lexa owed her big time for dragging her ass to America just so she could make out and  _ feel things _ .  _ Leave it to Lexa to find a girl from America to mend her broken heart. I want to throttle her sometimes but this is the happiest I have seen her in months... _ her head slams against the wheel in agitation. 

“You ok there?”

Anya rolls her head towards the open window, eyes narrowing at Raven’s smiling face.

“Raven.”

“They’re planning double dates and probably a double wedding and being gross and cute. I thought I was going to puke,” Raven says pointing her thumb over her shoulder. Anya sits up, hand raking through her hair as she watches Raven.

“So when’s our next drinking contest? I want to beat you a second time.”

“Never, I won. But if the delusion that you beat me helps you sleep at night Reyes, keep thinking that.”

“Are you saying you want me to think about you when I sleep?” Raven asks with a wink. Anya rolls her eyes so hard she is convinced they are going to stick. 

“I do not care what you do Raven,” she bites back.

Raven: 14

“That’s not a no,” Raven laughs. 

“Lexa, time to go,” Anya calls, ready to escape. Lexa looks at Anya, nodding her head in understanding. She kisses Clarke one last time, waves to Lincoln and Octavia and makes her way towards the car.  

“I was wondering…” Raven starts, feet scuffing at the gravel as she watches Lexa approach. Anya watches Raven’s throat bob as she swallows and curiosity unwillingly rolls through her.  _ Why is she suddenly nervous? _

“Raven?” Anya says smoothly, trying to sound comforting. She’s not quite sure it works but Raven meets her eyes and breaks out into a grin just as Lexa climbs into the car. 

“I was wondering if you wanted my number. So ya know, I could send you that cat meme,” she finishes with a waggle of her eyebrows. Anya can feel Lexa’s eyes on her, watching, waiting. 

“That-That would be nice,” Anya curses herself for her stuttering. She was not a bumbling nervous school girl and therefore should not act like one. She didn’t even  _ like _ Raven. Hardly knew her. She hands Raven her phone, watching as Raven’s lithe fingers tap away at the screen, tongue playfully sticking out before she hands the phone back to Anya.

“See you guys around,” Raven says tapping the window sill as she backs away. 

Anya nods her head as Lexa waves goodbye before pulling away (speeding) from the curb.     

 

They’re merging onto the highway heading north when Lexa breaks the silence.

“Vous n'aimez pas les memes de chat.”

“Shut up,” Anya growls speeding past a car in the left lane, glowering at the driver in her rearview mirror.  _ Why don’t people understand the left lane is for passing?! If you aren’t even going the speed limit you shouldn’t be in the left lane. Idiots. _

Her phone dings in the cupholder, a new text message lighting up the screen. Careful to keep one eye on the road and the wheel Anya checks her messages.

**Insanely Hot Genius: plz feel free to use this as blackmail**

[Attached: 1 video]

 

Anya groans at the name in her phone, fucking Raven, before quickly typing out a message.

_ I hate you. _

“Here,” Anya grunts, thrusting her phone at Lexa. 

“What is it?” 

“Watch.”

Out of the corner of her eye Anya watches Lexa press play, the video coming to life on the small screen. She can’t help the grin that splits her face as realization flickers to life across Lexa’s face. Emotion has always been easier to handle around Lexa. Maybe it was because Lexa knew her, knew her history, knew that Anya felt things…..just didn’t know how to express it.

“I love  _ cat memes _ ” Anya laughs, sarcasm dripping off her words. 

“Shut up,” Lexa growls thrusting the phone back at her and turning towards the window to sulk. 

 

The next hour passes by in relative silence, the soft hum of the radio playing in the background. Click. Click. Click. Click.

Anya glances at Lexa watching as she clicks her phone screen on then off then on then off...She’s been doing that for the last ten miles and Anya is ready to chuck the damn thing out the window. Lexa doesn’t even glance at her screen anymore, just stares out the window like a sad puppy. Anya knows she’s waiting for a text from Clarke, it’s only been two hours and already Lexa is driving her nuts.  _ EMOTIONS!  _

Click. Click. Click.

“Lexa if you don’t stop that I’m going to throw your phone out the window,” Anya growls.

“Sorry,” Lexa murmurs dejectedly. 

Sighing, Anya slips into her big sister roll.

“She’ll text you.”

“I know.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Clarke?”

“Yeah, unless you’re going to gush about how amazing and beautiful she is and that she’s the best kisser your gay ass has ever kissed and blah blah blah.”

“She  _ is  _ an amazing kisser,” Lexa says and Anya can hear the smile in her voice. “She is also ver-”

Anya groans, slamming her head against the seat's headrest. She walked right into that one.

“I changed my mind, I don’t care. Be miserable.” Anya says turning up the radio. The car is silent except for “ _ Rise Against” _  blasting through the speakers. Lexa reaches out and turns the speakers down.

“I asked her to visit.” 

Anya glances at Lexa, noticing her chewing her bottom lip nervously.  _ Clarke must be one hell of a kisser if she’s causing Lexa this much emotional turmoil.  _

“What did she say?” 

“She said she would.”

“Do you think she will?”

“Yeah,” Lexa breathes with a smile. The unsuspected knot in Anya’s stomach dissolves. She just wanted Lexa to be happy, she deserved it after everything.   

“You didn’t invite Raven to visit did you?”

“No…”

“Ohhhokay.”

Anya can feel Lexa’s eyes on her, searching for something. She keeps her gaze focused on the road, hands gripping the wheel imperceptibly tighter. 

“Anya!” Lexa gasps. 

“What?” Anya asks in alarm, head whipping to look at Lexa. Lexa’s hand is over her heart, eyes shining in amusement as she grins at Anya.

“Are you…..Anya don’t tell me you’re experiencing the human emotion of  _ friendship. _ ” 

“Piss. Off.” 

“Don’t worry Ahn, I won’t tell anyone you actually feel.”

Anya growls turning up the radio to drown out Lexa’s laugh, foot pressing down on the gas just a bit more forcibly.

She was going to kill Raven Reyes.   


	11. A Bouquet Of....... What?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO! I haven't forgotten about this baby - other than having the worst writers block, I have no excuse.
> 
> I slammed my head against the keyboard a couple of times and this fluff chapter came out. Sorry if it's rubbish (i'm going to come back to it now that my writers block is cracking) but I just wanted to get something out to y'all before another 200+ days. I'm the worst, I know. sorry.
> 
>  
> 
> Chapter is unbeta'd so please be kind 
> 
> Enjoy!

Clarke smiles at the soft acoustic tune filtering through her computer speakers; she couldn’t believe that she was spending her Friday night folding laundry and school work. _So much for having a social life._ Clarke turns towards her computer as the final notes echo through the room.

“That was beautiful,” she says to the screen with a smile. Her smile widens as she watches the other girls cheeks darken, their gaze fixed on the guitar in her lap.

“What was it?”

“Cherry Wine by Hozier,” the girl replies a small smile tugging at her lips, an unmistakable shine in her eyes despite the pixelated image. _That, that is my favorite smile_ , Clarke tells herself, trying to commit the image to memory.

“Ok I’m adding it to my playlist…. Thanks again for hanging with me tonight,” Clarke says shyly picking up a pair of pants to fold.

The girl laughs softly, shaking her head as butterflies tumble around Clarke’s stomach.

“Clarke I asked _you_ to FaceTime oui?”

“Yeah but still….I’m excited to see you next week!”

“Me too Clarke.”

Clarke moves around the room humming a tune beneath her breath, oblivious to the green eyes that follow her every move.

“What would you like to do while you are here?”

“Doesn’t matter to me. I just can’t believe you got th-”

The door to Clarke’s room flies open and hurricane Raven storms in bringing with her the scent of cheap beer and cigarettes.  

“Clarke! Don’t tell me you’re packing already!” Raven huffs eyeing the piles of clothes stacked on the bed. “You don’t leave till next week! Come on Griff, come out and drink with us please? Murphy gave up on trying to quit smoking, so he’s less of a dick. I mean he’s still a dick but like less of one ya know?” Raven looks at Clarke with sad puppy dog eyes, lip jutting out in a pout.

“Raven,” Clarke starts softly, causing Raven’s eyes to glaze over in disappointment.

“On second thought. I’m not taking ‘No’ as an answer. You haven’t come-”

“Rav-” Clarke tries to interrupt to tell her why she can’t, but Raven just talks louder.

“-out with us since O’s party. Well actually you never really came out. We all knew you wer-”

“Ra-”

“-raging lesbian. Maybe if we threw you a “Coming Out” party you’d come have fun with us. You’re worse than my grandma and she’s dead. You’re turning into my grandma. Boring. And don’t think I forgot that you promised to buy my drinks this we-.”

“Hello Raven,” Clarke’s computer says effectively cutting Raven off. Raven looks at Clarke’s computer, lazy smile pulling at her mouth.

“Bartender! Hey!” She says cheerily. “Clarke why didn’t you tell me you were FaceTiming with Lexa?”

“I tried but someone kept interrupting me,” Clarke puffs, glaring at Raven pointedly.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Raven states to Clarke before turning her attention back to Lexa, “Where’s the older grumpier version of you?”

“Anya?”

Raven nods her head energetically, “yeah her! I have to tell her something!”

The corners of Lexa’s lips turn up slightly, “ok.” Raven plops onto Clarke’s bed, knocking over a stack of neatly folded clothes.

“Raven!” Clarke groans. Raven shrugs her shoulders apologetically, eyes focused on watching Lexa move around on the other side of the call. The camera view changes from Lexa’s face to  Anya lounging on the couch, the soft glow of the television reflecting off the bottle of beer in her hand.

“Hey Anya!” Raven practically yells at the screen, “are those pants on sale? Because they’d be 100% off in my room.” Raven cackles as Anya turns towards the screen, even from a distance the annoyance in her eyes is distinguishable. The hairs on Clarke’s arm stand up in a moment of terror, afraid that Anya was going to perform an act of scientific discovery and teleport into their apartment and kill Raven (and her by association).

“Hi Anya,” Clarke says apologetically.

“Clarke,” Anya says with a tip of her head.

“What am I chopped meat?” Raven whines pressing her face closer to the camera.

“No you’re just annoying.”

“Ack! Anya you wound me!”

“Is it fatal?” Anya asks, voice full of false hope.

“It just might be and then won’t you feel like a real ass.”

“Don’t hold your breathe.”

“Raven is right Clarke,” Lexa says stepping into the frame.

“See Clarkie I’m right….wait what am I right about?”

“You did promise to buy her drinks this weekend…” Lexa trails off, smirking at Clarke’s jaw dropping open slightly.

“Ya hear that? We’re going out!”

“I do not like this! You two on the same team,” Clarke mutters gloomily.

“Come on, let's go drink your sorrows away. I’ll even buy the first round!” Raven says as she leaps from the bed, further dislodging Clarke’s perfectly folded clothes. Clarke pretends to think it over for a moment, watching Raven fidget impatiently.

“Alright when you put it like that,” Clarke declares with a wide tooth smile. “I’ll see you next week,” she promises her laptop screen.

“Next week,” Lexa replies softly.

“Bye,” Clarke murmurs before ending the video.

 

“Hell yes! Let’s go!” Raven cheers, dragging Clarke out into the living room. “Guess who's finally coming out!

“Raven! I’ve been out for awhile now” Clarke huffs turning into the living room.

“Clarke!” Monty yells wedged between Bellamy and Murphy on the couch.

“Autobots roll out! No, not you Murphy we all know you’re a Decepticon” Raven claims plucking the lit cigarette from between Murphy’s lips and making a show of putting it out.

“Bite me Reyes,” Murphy grunts.

“Sorry, I don’t eat spoiled meat.”

“Come on Jasp, we’re going!” Monty yells towards the bathroom.

“Dropship?” Bellamy asks as he holds open the front door.

“Dropship,” Clarke confirms with a wicked grin as she passes him.

 

***///***

“I hate you,” Clarke grunts the next morning as she drags herself towards the coffee pot.

“I don’t know about you but I feel great,” Raven chirps from the living room couch, feet propped up on the coffee table, newspaper in hand.

“I reiterate, I hate you. Do you even know how much the tab was last night?” Clarke sighs as the smell of the steaming coffee fills her nose.

“Almost two hundred?” Raven asks looking up from the newspaper.

“$170 basically!”

“$168.95,” Raven rattles offhandedly, all of her attention devoted to the crossword puzzle in her lap. “You should know better by now, offering to pay my tab. Whatever were you thinking Princess.”

“I think I finally learnt my lesson. God I feel like I drank a whole bottle of gasoline. What the hell did we drink last night?”

“You say that every time. Well it started wi-”

“I was being rhetorical!” Clarke cries, wincing as her hangover throbs.

“We really need to work on your sarcasm skills.”

“I hate you!” Clarke says as flops onto the couch next to Raven, slowly nursing her cup of warm coffee, savoring the way it slowly chases her hangover away.

“Mm number 15 down is what you are,” Clarke quips with a snort, leaning over to check Raven’s puzzle.

“‘Person who annoys the hell out of people’ Raven reads, looking over the puzzle. “Eight letters... starts with an ‘s’ and ends with an ‘s’....SMARTASS!”

***///***

Glaciers seemed to move faster than Clarke’s week. Getting from Monday to Thursday felt like floating through space with nothing to do for a hundred years. For four days straight Clarke’s brain had been a constant stream of Lexa (the color of her eyes), Lexa (her laugh), Lexa (the way her nose scru - [ok Clarke we get it.])  intersped with random thoughts (eat dinner, go to work, laugh at Raven’s bad jokes.) The anticipation of spending the entire weekend with Lexa left Clarke feeling like a live wire. Full of energy and bubbly excitement, Clarke had trouble staying still for more than minutes at a time. Which drove Raven _MAD_ which tickled Clarke and only made her more giddy, it was a vicious cycle really.

By lunch on Thursday Clarke was one pin prick away from bursting.

“You’re picking me up from the airport right?” Clarke asked eagerly for probably the eighth time that week.

“Yes Clarke. I will be there,” Lexa replies slightly exhausted but a small smile on her lips nevertheless.

“Just confirming. My flight lan-”

“Lands at 17:43 also known as 5:43pm.” Clarke smiles knowing that Lexa’s eyes were rolling on the other end of the line. “I might be a little excited.”

“Yes, I might have noticed that,” Lexa deadpans, affection obvious in her voice.  

“Is that Lexa?” Bellamy asks as he struts into the break room seeing the smile on Clarke’s face. Clarke nods her head in response, “I want to talk to her,” he says states striding towards her.

“What? No Bellamy.”  

“I just want to say hi!”

Clarke grunts as Bellamy attempts to snatch the phone away from her ear.

“Clar-?” can be faintly heard on the phone.

“Bell get off me,” Clarke says voice full of amusement as she tries to force him back with one arm, which just increases Bellamy’s effort.

“Ha! Hi Lexa!” Bell says cheerily as he wrests the phone from Clarke’s grip. “I just wanted to go over some things for this weekend. What’s the plan?” Clarke sticks her tongue out at Bellamy as he listens to Lexa head bopping along to what she’s saying, he smiles when Clarke gives him the bird.  

“Mmmmhmm ok I approve. What about your intentions? Because if you hur-”

“OK! Bell,” Clarke cries, surprising Bellamy as she yanks the phone back. “I’m sorry about that Bellamy doesn’t have social skills or any concept of BOUNDARIES!” She says pointedly in his direction.

“Please assure him that I have no intention of hurting you….For the record I’m excited to see you too, Clarke.”

“See you in a few hours,” Clarke says smiling as she hangs up the phone.

“Bellamy Bla-” Clarke is cut off by the alarm blaring loudly through the speaker.

“Ambulance 10 dispatched to, 389 West River Ave, one unconscious victim.”

“Bellamy Blake I hope you know you were saved by the bell, literally!”

Bellamy winks as Clarke turns and runs from the break room.

***///***

Tapping an insistent beat, Clarke waits for the plane doors to open. _Come on come on! How long does it take to open a door?_ The doors to the cabin slowly slide open and Clarke sprints from her seat like an Olympian….well as fast as anyone can sprint while in an airplane. Power-walking through the terminal Clarke tries to control her nerves. _It’s just Lexa, Lexa who, who is drop dead gorgeous and probably way out of my league and has the prettiest smile in the world. THE CUTEST LAUGH. We’re probably going to have sex this weekend, no Raven or Bellamy to interrupt us. OH god did I shave my legs?_ Bypassing baggage claim, Clarke heads straight towards the exit, trying to control her ragged breathing.

She skids to a stop, disgruntled travelers moving around her in their rush to get home. She can feel her cheeks warming as a red blush spills across, desire eating at her insides. Leaning against Anya’s truck wearing a white linen shirt, first few buttons undone to show off her breastbone was none other than Lexa, the picture of pure seduction. The look was seriously working for Clarke and Lexa knew if her smug smile was anything to go by. Standing there gaping like a fish, Clarke watches as Lexa pushes off from the truck her long legs closing the distance between them easily.

“Hi,” Lexa murmurs staring Clarke’s eyes, then her lips . “These are for you,” she says holding out a bouquet.

“Merci,” Clarke says without looking at the flowers, so captivated by Lexa’s eyes in the setting sun.

“You said they were your favorite.”

Finally looking at the bouquet, Clarke laughs loudly. She was so focused on Lexa’s eyes that she hadn’t even noticed that her bouquet of flowers wasn’t actually flowers at all. Lexa had given her a bouquet of sweet potato fries, all the different styles clustered together.  A memory from their “first date” floats through Clarke’s mind.

***///***

_“I’ll have a side plate of sweet potato fries too please,” Clarke said with finality as she closed her menu. “What?” she asks upon seeing the look on Lexa’s face. “Sweet potatoes are the best potatoes and therefore sweet potato fries are the best fries and my favorite.” Lexa held her hands up in surrender, smile splitting her face in two. “Je me rends.” (“I surrender.”)_

***///***

Grabbing Lexa’s neck Clarke pulls her in for a long lazy kiss, heart humming in contentment.  

“I love it,” Clarke whispers against Lexa’s lips. “I can’t wait to tell Anya and Raven.”

Lexa groans loudly, pressing her forehead against Clarke’s who just laughs loudly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes i stand by what i said - sweet potato fries are by far superior
> 
> if you want to argue with me on that come find me on tumblr  
> @faqubetta

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read this and continues to read it! You guys are my motivation and fuel my fire when I have writers block!  
> Suggestions/comments/opinions or whatever else you have are always appreciated!  
> I can be found at faqubetta.tumblr.com where I spend way too much time! Come say hi!


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